


Fool's Luck and The Devil's Humor

by NihilismPastry



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Horrortale, F/M, Female Reader, Violence, dark themes, soul mates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-02
Updated: 2017-12-09
Packaged: 2018-09-21 16:30:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 35,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9557231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NihilismPastry/pseuds/NihilismPastry
Summary: *Devil's Brand of Humor Re-WriteIn a horror story, it's imperative to remember you only exist to entertain. If you remember that much, then you might manage to survive the ghastly horrors that want you dead. Especially the one that your soul was bonded to, an apathetic, lazy, and very bored skeleton who would rather eat you than keep you.





	1. Rule Breaker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Breaking rules has consequences.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gore Level: None

You rubbed at your eyes, the dirt smearing on your skin, becoming mud as it mingled with your left over tears. You weren't in any pain, the fall hadn't damaged you at all, the bed of bright yellow flowers had stopped your fall from being deadly. Your hands dropped to your lap, and you tilted your head back, taking in the sky that was now so high above your head and the cavern walls. The clouds looked opaline as they stood out against the blazing red sunset, a sign that time had slipped away while you were knocked out. Great. You took in a shaky breath, before hauling yourself up, petals and leaves falling out of your hair and clothes. You went over to one of the pillars that was built into the cavern walls, inspecting the cracked white stone. It was too wide for you to wrap your arms and legs around it, so there was no way for you to shimmy up the column. Even if you managed to wrap your arms around it, you weren't the most physically fit person, getting up the column would take more energy than you'd had in your entire adult life.  Maybe you shouldn't have blown your mother off when she started going to the gym on Sunday afternoons...

You sighed and twisted back around, just to yelp and stagger back when you came face to face with a golden flower. This one was far more vibrant than the others, and had a single green eye in the middle of its petals. A hand thrust into your back pocket, but you didn't feel the cold metal of your multi tool. You must have lost it when you fell down that crack on the mountain side, stupid caution tape. You sighed and twisted back around, pressing your thumb to your ring finger, a resounding crack sounding through the empty room. you went back to the flower bed, and kicked aside a stick that must have broken in two when you fell, before sitting back down in the soft grass and flower petals. You'd gone up the mountain with your family, your husband doing the usual rites in order to upkeep the happiness of the people of Ebott. The actual ritual would start once the sun had gone down, just like in those old legends recited in school. Half the town would be further up the mountain, but if you waited, then maybe they would come down closer to where you were? Granted, that place was a closed off section you weren't supposed to be at, but once they broke out the liquor, no one would be paying any attention to the rules anyway.

You leaned back on the heels of your hands, grass and flower roots padding them. You watched as the sun began to set deeper into the sky, blue and purples forming inside the red, until the entire sky was swallowed into a dark blue. The clouds had shifted away, revealing a multitude of stars, and a moon that was only a quarter of the way full. You could smell smoke in the air now, smoke and...Did an oxygen tank explode? You frowned and pulled yourself off the ground, wiping the grass off your black slacks as you followed the smell to the carved archway. You peeked your head into it, but all you saw was darkness, and the thick smell of smoke that burned your eyes, causing them to tear up all over again. Was it some kind of chemical leak, or was it an affect of the ritual happening at the top of the mountain? But the ritual didn't involve burning anything, did it? Why didn't you pay attention to these things? How long have you lived in Ebott again? 

You backed up, just for a yelp to pierce the darkness. You twisted around, and a shriek escaped your own lips, your legs backing you away from the glaring flower. Yes, there was a small flower with golden petals, and a single dark green eye in the middle of them, glaring at you from its place on the ground. Light green leaves were folded close to its stem, as if it was crossing a pair of arms, and a huffy voice came from a mouth it didn't posses. "You're a real focused machine, aren'tchya?"

"S-sorry, I think? I just didn't see you." You continued to back away, sharp stones pressing through your blouse when you hit the carved archway. "I didn't know the spirits were uh...Real."

"Spirits?" The eye narrowed further. "Is that what they're calling us now? It used to be wraiths or something." It shook its head. "Not the point. It's obvious you're new to the Underground, huh? That's alright, just be happy you're down here during the night instead of the day. There's some creepy fricks that run around during the day." The eye brightened, and the stem straightened. "Lucky you ran into me, huh? I can help if you want. I know the place pretty well, and you won't have to worry about getting lost. What'dya say?"

"N-no thank you." You sidestepped the creature, giving it a wide enough space that it couldn't touch you. "I've got family, and they'll come looking for me. If I run all over the place, they won't be able to get me." You sat down in the flowers again, and stretched your legs out in front of you. "Thanks for the offer though, uh..."

"Flowey. Flowey the Flower~." You brought your legs up as he seemed to 'swim' through the dirt. His small roots surfacing for a moment, and propelling him forward. "But you don't really want to stay, do you? What if the others come? I'm not the monster in this place, the others will be up at dawn looking for you. Humans are pretty~ rare. It won't take long for you to get found out."

"I'll take my chances."

The petals around his head drooped, but his tone remained the same. "Fine, suit yourself. If you ever need me though, just call my name and I'll be there."

The dirt around him shifted and became small piles, before he disappeared under the ground, the dirt shifting back into its mostly smooth state. You stared at the spot for a few moments, expecting the dirt to shift again, and the flower to create a crappy jump stare, but the dirt remained, as did the silence. You took a deep breath, smoke and ozone filling your lungs, as you laid yourself out on the flower bed. Your ears strained to listen for the tell-tale sounds of someone coming close to the edge of the hole that you had tumbled into, but there was nothing. Not even the sound of prayer, or the shouting and laughter the kids made as they played in a 'forbidden' place, the only time they could all year. It was just silence, thick as jam, and just as nauseating. You closed your eyes, blocking out the sight of the stars and moon, the darkness swallowing you whole as you drifted off to sleep.

* * *

When you woke up again, the sun was high in the sky. You could hear the birds chirping, and the cicadas making their obnoxious whirring sounds as the summer day got in the swing of things. Your scratched your scalp, more flower petals and dirt falling out of your hair as you did, and glanced around the room. The flower from last night hadn't made a reappearance, and there was nothing else in the room either. It was just you, sitting alone among the flowers, with no hint that a single person had come anywhere near the edge of the hole. A soft sigh escaped you lips as you hauled yourself up, pops and snaps coming from your joints soon afterward. Your bladder felt full, and your stomach empty, the conflicting feelings was uncomfortable, and made you nauseous. Not sure what else to do, you kicked off your flats, and then your slacks  and underwear, before pissing in the corner of the room. Once that was taken care of, you quickly dressed again, and found yourself standing in the flower bed again. Normally the ritual was an all night affair, and most everyone sat around at home the day after it happened. Going up Mt. Ebott was technically illegal, so someone randomly finding you right now was out of the question. You'd told your mother and step-father you were going home with your husband, who likely got caught up with his job last night. It wouldn't surprise you if no one even realized you were missing yet.

You pressed your thumb down on your pinkie finger, a dull snap sounding through the room. You couldn't think like that, if you did then you wouldn't get anywhere except into a crying fit. You'd gotten lost before, it wasn't the worst thing in the world. If you looked very hard, you might even find a way out of the mountain. After all, the mountain supported a decent animal population, they didn't disappear every time they came back up to the mountain. You doubted it had anything to do with that stupid ritual either, it was all just a light show for the old and senile population of the city. There were tails of people going to the mountain, and never returning, or people sold their souls to spirits, just to get dragged back into the mountain years later. Clearly, all of that was wrong, you were still alive and well, maybe just a little dehydrated and hungry, if you seeing talking flowers was anything to go by. 

You made your way down the path, and through the carved archway. The darkness was gone now, and sunlight dappled down from small holes made into the mountain, only big enough for small animals to fit through. There was even a patch of healthy green grass sitting in the middle of the otherwise rock floor. You stepped around the vegetation, and made your way through another carved entrance. Facing you now was a set of spikes that were rusted and warped towards the tips, next to it was a gold lever mounted to a wall of lavender stone. There were also stones set in a pentagon shape, with round stone sitting on top of four of them. You went over to the lever, and gripped the cold metal, before pulling it down in a jerking motion. There was a click, and the spikes slowly lowered themselves back into the ground with a grinding crank. Once they were full lowered, you stepped over the spikes that were still visible, and kept moving.

The place was built mostly of stone with various shades of purple and gray. The columns supporting the ceiling were massive, and there seemed to be lights in the ceiling among the stalactites. They glowed a soft white, and almost seemed to twinkle and wink like artificial stars. You hopped off another spike pad, you didn't want to linger on them long since you almost skewered yourself twice, as you completed another trap. You had only ventured two rooms into this strange place, and yet you had already completed three traps, you felt like you were playing a convoluted game of _Uncharted_ , just without all the shooting parts, and treasure. You crossed a bridge that held a stream of running water, and paused, looking into the clear water. You knew that the city had a problem with pollution, and that a company had gotten caught for dumping their waste here, but this water was clear. You bent down, and dipped a hand into it, a chill going down your spine as the water cooled down your skin. It didn't feel gritty, and you could even see your hand.

You shifted onto your knees, and dipped your other hand into the water as well, and cupped them. Once you stopped all the holes between the fingers the best you could, you brought your hands up with the water. You took a deep breath and sipped the cold water, your dry throat finally getting the water it needed. The water tasted like the stuff out of a bottle, which is to say it tasted tasteless. There wasn't even the off gritty taste that came with the well water on your parents land, or the chemical taste that came from city water. It was cool and refreshing, everything that water was supposed to be. If it wasn't due to superstitions, you were almost certain this place would become a water bottling place in a quick minute. You took several more drinks, before getting up again, wiping your hands on your slacks. With your water issue solved, that made surviving until getting rescued/finding a way out that much easier. Now you just needed some food...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the rewrite...The first chapter alone feels better to me. Hopefully, I can keep up the higher quality.
> 
> Know what isn't high quality? My tumblr! http://nihilismpastry.tumblr.com/


	2. The Ruins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You navigate through a ruin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gore Level: Low

You shrieked as you fell through a floor made a rotten floorboards, and fell hard on your side. Leaves crinkled and clung to your clothes and hair, more dirt smuggling on your face as you rolled from your stomach to your back. This was the third time you tried to cross the hallway, and the third time you fell into this hole full of dead leaves. How was there so many leaves anyway, you hadn't seen a tree since you fell into the mountain! You groaned as you pushed yourself up, you back popping as you staggered back onto your feet, leaves falling out of your hair and down your blouse. You trudged back through a small opening, which lead straight back to the damned hallway. Too bad there weren't any loose rocks or something, then you could just test and see which floorboards would break under your weight...Of course it might be fine with a rock, you weren't exactly small by any stretch of the imagination. You poked your stomach, watching your finger sink into the cloth of your blouse, and into the fat of your round belly. You sighed and dropped your hand. and began to carefully moving you way along the trail. This time you didn't fall into a pit, and you took three large steps back from the faulty hallway, a grin spreading on your lips. This was probably the most complicated of the traps you had to navigate, you were just thankful that there weren't spike hidden in the leaves. You continued down the hallway, your footfalls echoing through the room.

The silence was all consuming, and made you a bit uneasy. More than once you found yourself stopping, half expecting something to pop out of the many cracks and crevices in the wall in a corny jump scare. That wasn't the case though, and you tried to fill the silence humming old tunes your step-father would sing during bonfires during camping trips. Most of them were corny love ballads, with the occasional rock anthem thrown in for the sake of variety. Even though the traps themselves were varied, and complicated sometimes, the place itself was very monotonous in looks. Everything was constructed form purple and gray stones, with vines growing all over the walls. Sometimes you'd catch sight of a spider web hidden in the corners, but even those didn't seem to actually posses any spiders, and were more for show than anything. The only real thing that helped you pick out different areas of this place was the river and traps. In some rooms the river didn't run through the floor, and in those rooms the traps seemed to be more elaborate, you wondered if the river had anything to do with that. You crossed another bridge, and came into a room full of tall pillars strewn haphazardly around the room, with much smaller glass ones close by. 

The design looked a little 'much', and you couldn't tell what the exact trap was, outside the spikes that was baring your on the southern end of the room. These had dark brown  splotches on the metal, almost blending in with the rust. You walked over to the spikes, and examined the wall closest to them, trying to find some kind of switch that would help you lower the trap. However, there was nothing there, not even the chalk marks that had helped you figure out the second trap in the second room. You took several steps back, and began twisting your fingers, satisfying pops emitting from them. You half turned towards the pillars, keeping your eyes on both as you tried to find anything that stood out to you, that could be a hint to lower the spikes. You were almost certain it had something to do with the colorful glass columns, you hadn't seen them in any other room, but you weren't sure what they could do yet. You sighed and went over to a pale blue one, and carefully pressed your hands against it, a grimy texture getting all over your hand. You pulled your hand back, just to find it covered in an off white, almost glittery like film. You rubbed your fingers together, some of the film falling to the ground looking more and more like sparkly dust. You wiped the dust off on your clothes, and knelt down, trying to find a switch or trigger on the column. Your fingers pressed against the smooth glass, gliding down and up, until your left hand sunk into a small button near the base. A mechanical click sounded, and the spikes began to lower into the ground. You straightened up, and went into another room, this one similar to the last one with the many glass and stone columns strewn around the room. You examined each of the glass columns, none of them coming up dusty, and finally found another button behind a stone column. Another click sounded, and you heard grinding as spikes were lowered into the ground once again. 

When you walked through this room, you were were surprised to come across another room with the same exact trap. It was the first time you'd seen a trap set more than once, you wondered if the architects just ran out of ideas. You ended up having to click three different glass columns, before the spikes sunk into the ground, letting you pass into another room. The ceiling was higher here, and there were leaves swept to the sides of the room and out of the way. However, the thing that caught your attention the most was the gigantic tree. It had dark wood, long spindly branches, and all of the leaves had fallen, leaving it bare and looking almost like a Halloween prop or something. You gaped up at the tree, looking through the branches, and to the craggy ceiling above. There were lights, just like in all of the other rooms, but these were brighter, and reminded you of fluorescent lights, instead of bundles of fireflies. But there were no holes, no sunlight slipping through the cracks, and helping to feed the tree. Was it even really alive?

You diverged off the path, and went over to the tree, carefully picking your way over the gnarled roots that peeked through the cracks of dirt and rocks. You pressed a hand against the tree, half expecting to feel cold metal, but instead felt warm bark. It was rough, but it didn't break away under your hand, or splinter when you added a little pressure. The tree was really alive, somehow. Did that mean it was close enough to the surface it got everything it needed, maybe there was an exit close by? You backed away from the tree, and turned around, just to collide with something warm and smelling vaguely of cinnamon. You grunted and backed up a bit, your eyes widening when you found yourself looking at a goat creature. It had short horns, and pristine white fur, it wore a torn dress that was mostly white, but had bits of ragged plum fabric sewn to it as well. Mint green eyes stared down at you, the head tilted to the side, as if confused. You backed up a step, just to feel yourself fall and pain shoot up your ankle, you had tripped over a root. 

The goat reached out, grabbing you by the upper arm, sharp claws ripping through your blouse, and scratching your skin. It gave a sharp pull, and you were standing upright once again, though they didn't let go of your arm. "Human, did you make your way down here by yourself?"

You wordlessly nodded, not sure if your hunger was causing you to see things, or if this was actually happening. There were hundreds of stories surrounding the mountain, but the one that always stood out, mostly due to the ritual, was the one about spirits. Long dead people from a war in another era that had been wronged by the Charmer's and forced to wonder the earth for eternity. While you had been expecting small, floating sheets, you weren't ready to insult a goat woman that was nearly eight feet tall without adding in her horns. "i-I'm sorry..."

"No, it's quite alright." She let go of you, blood staining her paw. "I was rather preoccupied this morning, and did not get a chance to see if another human fell." She said, her eyebrows furrowed. "It must have made your journey so much scarier and difficult, my child."

"I'm uh, I'm not-"

She reached out, and took your hand, dragging your forward to a large house made of dark wood. It was in desperate need of a repaint, but outside that it looked very nice, almost like a little bed and breakfast. She led you up the stairs, and into the house, something smelled warm almost liked freshly baked bread. The goat let go of your hand, and shut the door. "For now you may stay with me, my child. I'm sure you are very frightened, and do not understand what is going on, but I will ease your worries momentarily. Your hand was taken again, and she led you into what appeared to be her living room. There was a stone fire place in one corner, and an overstuffed recliner close by it, with a book case filled with colorful books to the right of the fireplace. The woman continued to lead you into another room, this one a small kitchen that had a giant stove, and a very old looking fridge that had pictures of childish scribbles pinned to the front of it. The woman led you to the sink, and twisted on the water, and finally let go of your hand. "Please wash your face, I'll get you something to eat, and then we may talk." 

You quickly scrubbed at your face, your lips pursing when you saw how dark the water was as it spiraled down the drain. You wished you had soap, but decided not to bring it up. If the lady's soap was too strong, it would make your skin break out anyway, there was no point bothering her with it. Once you were done, you wiped the access water off with your sleeve, and watched the goat woman look through her cabinets. You caught a glimpse of glass containers filled with different foods, most of them looked dried, like some kind of root crop. She hummed when she finally found what she was looking for, and brought down a wooden box that had red leaves painted along the front. She opened it up, and took out a round cookie. "Here we are. I'm afraid I'm out of most of the snacks, I haven't been able to bring myself to bake much lately."

You took the cookie. "Thanks, I'd eat anything, really."

The goat woman smiled, and took your hand again, leading you into the living room. She sat in her chair, and not sure what else to do, you sat on the floor. "Now, it must be rather obvious to you that you're in the Underground. I am Toriel, the caretaker of the Ruins. It is my job to look for fallen humans, but it seems I did poorly with this task."

"I fell last night." You admitted. "Y-you're fine."

"Still, I would have rather you did not have to go through the complex and often dangerous puzzles on your own." She said. "Do not worry, I will ensure that you will not have to do so again. For now on, you may stay with me in my home, I know it is not much, and that I am a monster..." She frowned. "What is wrong, do you not like the idea?"

"You're a monster?" You said. "I uh, I kinda thought you were a spirit."

She gives a small laugh, a low sound that almost sound that was warm and genuine. "Yes, monsters were a race that lived among humans well over a millennia ago. It is not surprising that humans have forgotten about us, or changed what we are entirely. Such is the way war, and history, have always worked." You bit into your cookie, nutmeg and butter exploding in your mouth. "Anyway, as I was saying before, I will take care of you for now on. It is only right, and my duty."

You swallowed the food, almost choking in your haste. She couldn't just up and take care of you. There had to be a way out of the ruins, a way back to the surface. If not, then you needed to wait for someone to finally realize you were missing, and for someone to send out a search party for you. "L-look, I'm thankful for what you're doing, really, but I can't stay. My family's waiting for me, and I need to go back to them. If you know a way out, could you please show me so I can go home."

Her eyes widened the smallest bit, and her fangs were bared, twisting her to look a bit more what you'd imagine her species would look like, before it dissolved back into her patient smile. "If I knew a way out, I would certainly tell you, but that just isn't the case. Instead, why don't I take you out to the opening, and see if your family comes back. In between times, you may stay with me, where you will be safe and fed."

"..."

That was fair, wasn't it? You'd get a place to stay, and she would take you out to see if your family had found you. In fact, you'd be an idiot not to take the deal. The lady was nice enough, she didn't have to let you into her home, or even make her offer. You finished off the last of your cookie, a tingling spreading through your stomach as you did, before you held out a hand. "Alright, Ms. Toriel, you have yourself a deal."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We finally meet Toriel! And just like last time, Treat is an idiot and ignores some serious red flags. I liked writing about the ruins and the puzzles there, it felt pretty leisurely, really. 
> 
> Know what isn't leisurely? My tumblr! http://nihilismpastry.tumblr.com/
> 
> And for those of you subscribed to me, keep an eye out! The next chapter will likely come out tonight.


	3. A Hostess Like This

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toriel is so kind...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gore Level: None
> 
> Isn't that nice!

Over the course of the next week, your days began a pattern. Toriel would wake you up with a small breakfast, and then leave you long enough to eat and dress in some old clothes she had 'laying about'. After that, you'd take down the dishes, and help her clean the kitchen, before you slipped on some shoes, and follow her outside. She would rake the leaves, and you would read a book on snails, before she went out and took you to the opening. The two of you would sit in the flower bed, Toriel reading some kind of book, while you would watch the sky, hoping that it would finally be the day someone realized you'd gone missing. By noon Toriel would put a waxed flower bookmark between the pages of her book, and lead you back to the house, her paw firmly around your hand. Afterwards you had time to do whatever you wanted until dinner, which usually meant you fell asleep, or would put together some of the jigsaw puzzles you found in your room. By evening Toriel would call you down to set the table, and the you would eat whatever she decided to make for dinner. Most of the time it was some kind of pasta dish, or pot pie, but once she made a snail stew that tasted surprisingly good, if not a bit chewy. Afterwards you were told to take a bath, and then go to bed, so the entire process started all over again. You would have thought parts of your routine would be weird, maybe something out of those fantasy books your mother liked to read, but it wasn't. The monster functioned similar to how a human would, with all the same feelings that came with being alive. In fact, you were convinced she didn't even have magic, you didn't find any rune books on the bookcase, and it was obvious that the monster didn't have any tattoos with all that fur on her. 

You leaned back in your bed, staring at the star shaped charms hanging off the ceiling from thin strings. They looked like they were made of glass, and were various shades of blues and yellows. They were adorable, fit for a small child, like most of the other things in the room. There was a frog shaped stuffed animal, and a pink one that was missing a head next to it. A card board box full of mismatched shoes was wedged under a nightstand, and on the nightstand was a lamp with a pink lampshade that had small clouds printed on the fabric. It was a very cutesy room, you wondered what happened to the child that had originally lived with Toriel. You sighed and took in a deep breath, you could smell the garlic bread and butter. It was a familiar scent, one that reminded you of a grinning blonde that had tattoos up and down her arms, legs, and neck. Your mother had a deep seated love for Italian food, and claimed it was a work of the gods. It was rare for the house not to smell like garlic, or for there not to be some kind of tomato product in the cabinet. You sometimes wondered if your mother was an Italian in another life, or if she was supposed to be in this one, and the order got mixed up. You snorted at the joke, and rolled onto your stomach, pulling the faded quilt up around your shoulders. 

After seven days, did anyone notice you were missing? Surely your mother did, she kept tabs on you even though you lived an hour away, and was married. Your step-father would certainly get the alert from your mother, but you didn't think he'd be willing to act so quickly, being a rather private person himself. And then your husband...You lived with him for god's sake, if he didn't notice your absence by now, then it didn't matter what you did at this point. Your fingers curled tighter around the rough material, and you squeezed your eyes shut. 

No! 

You weren't going to start thinking that way. If you did, then you'd end up in a pit, and wouldn't be able to get out again. You had to keep going back to that hole, and thinking about how happy everyone would be to see you again. You could do this, there could be worse situation in the world. You were living in a nice house, with a very hospitable goat woman. So what if she thought you were a child, you could always be wandering around, hungry...Or you could have splattered into that flower bed, instead of just passing out. You continued ticking off the small blessings you'd gotten in the last few days, until your eyes became heavy, and your breathing slowed, sleep overtaking you.

* * *

The next day, Toriel announced that you wouldn't be able to go to the opening that day. You paused as you washed out your glass, looking up at the goat woman as she put away a frying pan on a hook. "Today I have guests coming to my home, and they would not be very..." She paused in her task, mulling in her thoughts. "receptive, to a human in the ruins. So, I want you to stay in your room until I say otherwise, alright?"

You nodded, and plunged the glass back into the hot water. "Can I take my lunch and some books upstairs?"

"Of course my child." She pat your head with a heavy paw. "I am merely asking you to stay out of the way, not condemning you to imprisonment. I will prepare your lunch early then, my guests are to arrive before noon."

You gave your thanks, and hurried with the dishes, before drying your hands off with a towel, and going back to the living room. You looked over the many titles sitting on the bookshelf, looking for one that caught your eye. Most of the books were non-fiction, Toriel said she had some fiction ones in her room, maybe you could stand to read some? You personally loved a good Western, maybe the monsters had some kind of equivalent? You went upstairs, and down the hall, to Toriel's room. You'd never gone inside before, but she had told you that her door was always open to you, so grabbing a book should be fine, right? You opened up the door, and peeked inside. There was a giant bed in one corner of the room, with a nightstand beside it, there was a blurry photo frame on top of it, as if it hadn't been touched in awhile. On the other side of the room was a dresser, and next to it was a bookshelf full of books. You went over to it, and skimmed the titles, trying to find something that fit your fancy. There was more self help books, a motivational book from a writer your recognized, and a few magazines with yellowed pages and faded photos. You hummed when you saw something that didn't have a title on the spine, and took it down. You flipped it open, and was surprised to find a recipe to something written in blue pen. 

One cup of pure water, six parts healing magic, and **HoPe** of yourself drawn out. You raised an eyebrow at the strange list, and flipped the page, finding something that looked closer to a standard recipe. Two cups of thistle root, a teaspoon of golden flower sap, and two tablespoons of ground snail shell for taste. Huh, was that for some kind of broth or something? You remember Toriel using snail shells in her potpie the other night, she said it was to give a bit of texture to an otherwise watery dish. It made sense that she would write down her personal recipes, but why would she keep them all the way up here instead of downstairs within reach? You jumped when you heard the stairs squeak and groan, and Toriel calling your name. You slammed the book shut, and put it away, instead picking up a collection of poems that was on the bottom shelf. You went out of her room and into the hallway, almost bumping into her. 

"My child, I got worried when you didn't return." She said, shaking her head. "Please refrain from scaring me like that, it's cruel to do such a thing to an old lady."

"Sorry." You held up the book. "I was just getting something to read."

She studied the worn title for a moment, and a smile curled onto her lips. "That is a very good choice, my child. I'm very fond of this writer, though he writes tragedy better than romance." She put a hand on your shoulder, and turned you around, guiding you back to your room. "Now, I want you to stay in your room for now, I'll bring your lunch upstairs shortly." She shut the door behind her, though you didn't miss the distinct click that the door made as she locked it from the outside.

* * *

 You ended up sleeping most of that day. The book of poems was so boring it should have been a crime, the writer mostly went on and on about the 'darkness residing in his once sun happy soul'. It was cheesy as hell, and you wondered if any writer actually took this guy seriously, or did he have enough money to just force people to publish his work. So, you ended up falling asleep before hitting the second stanza of the third poem, you hadn't even woken up to eat your lunch, by the time you woke up again, the door was now open, and there was a tray of biscuits and what looked like some kind of dark brown meat on a plate. You decided to gobble down your lunch, a cookie and some pasty green soup that tasted like kale, and then nibble on one of the biscuits since you had the room for it. You stretched out your legs as you stared at the door, chewing your food slowly. Toriel must have finished up her meeting, if the open door was any indication. You swallowed the lump of sweet bread, and pushed yourself up, you stacked all the dishes neatly onto the lunch tray, before going downstairs. Toriel was in the kitchen, a soft orange flame dancing over her palm, and under a green mug that she held in her other hand. She smiled when she noticed you, and watched as you put the dishes into a sink full of soapy hot water, setting aside the plate with the meat on it on the counter. You turned your attention back to her, and the flickering flame. You didn't see any metal or anything like that, it was literally coming from her hand, not a lighter. 

"Is there something wrong, my child?" You opened your mouth, but you weren't sure how to continue what you wanted to say. Would it be weird to ask if it was magic, or would she take offense to it? The flame dissolved in a flurry of pink steam, as she turned to fully look at you, both paws holding her mug. "Have you never seen magic before? I'm sorry, it must have been so scary for you."

"I was just surprised, I guess."

"All monsters have magic," She said. "though it depends on the monster. Our entire body is made of magic that is projected from our souls. Magical abilities, such as my fire, is merely a reflection of something I'm need or wanting. It is me, but so far removed that it does not seem to be me," She gave a soft smile, and summoned another orange flame, this time without moving her hands. "see, not the least bit dangerous." 

"I guess..."

She gave a small laugh, and pat your head as she walked out of the kitchen, the small flame following her. When it was close to your face, you could feel an intense heat, you leaned back, half expecting it to torch your eyebrows off. So she did have magic, just something so far removed from what you were used to seeing. And she was made of magic, something that should be impossible right? Wasn't magic a phenomena or something? Why didn't you ever pay attention in high school? You weren't 'magically inclined', but you did go to an 'all peoples' school. You sighed and grabbed the rag off the side of the sink, and began scrubbing at a plate, cleaning off crumbs and grease stains off the brown porcelain. So if Toriel really wanted to hurt you, she could have done it this entire time. Just torch you for leaving your shoes in the middle of the floor, or for not waking up the first time she called for you. And if she could summon up a single fire ball, she could probably summon a whole bunch of them, or a tornado, or flying monkeys. It was probably a good thing she didn't catch you snooping through her room like that...

You stacked all the clean dishes onto the wooden rack next to the sink, before wiping your hands off on your borrowed short, and heading back into the living room. You pursed your lips, Toriel wasn't there. You went up the stairs, and peeked into the bedroom and the bathroom, but didn't see her there either. You went back downstairs, popping your fingers against the wooden railing, the sound echoing through the hallway. Where else could she be? She didn't wander off outside during the evening, she said it was too dangerous...

Your eyes trailed down, catching sight of another set of stairs. You'd seen them before, they were hard to miss, but you hadn't had a reason to go downstairs. You began your decent down the stairs, dirt catching on your exposed feet, and goosebumps raising along your skin as the temperature began to drop. The hallway became darker, and wood was replaced with lavender stones. There were lights strung to the stone ceiling, and you could hear water dripping down from some place. It was dark and dank, exactly what you could imagine a placed called 'The Underground' to be. You began popping your fingers all over again as you walked, your shadow slinking beside you along the wall. You turned a corner, and saw that Toriel was at a gigantic door, large enough to let a semi-truck through no problem. It was made of plum colored stones, and had scrolls etched into the sides of it, and a scribbled out something at the very top. You'd never seen this area of the ruin before, and you felt a pang of betrayal and bitter anger rise on your tongue. Why would she bother to hide a huge door from you? Was it really that important for you not to know about it? It wouldn't have killed you or anything. 

_"Humans are pretty~ rare."_

Was that why she didn't say anything? Was she going to keep you here? You took a step forward, gritting your teeth as hundreds of scenarios rolled around in your head. Toriel had been kind to you, awfully kind for a stranger. Plus, why on earth would a monster trust some random human? Wouldn't it make more sense for her to hate you or something?

It was all too good to be true.

Why would anyone want to help you? 

You were just a rarity.

She didn't really like you.

You felt pressure throb behind your eyes, and words bubble to your lips. "Toriel?"

She turned around at your call, eyes wide and fists clenched as she stared at you. "My child, what are you doing-"

"That door." You pointed to it, your voice wavering, far too breathy to come across as calm. "That's not a way out, is it? You didn't lie, did you?"

"So, you're going to be like all the others?" The goat woman closed her eyes, and squared her shoulders. You could taste ozone and smoke in the air, it was thick and made your lungs burn, the pressure behind your eyes increased, and you felt your chest tighten. Toriel sighed and opened her eyes, the pupils far too wide, her smile almost manic as she took a step towards you. "Then let us be sure it never happens again."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nope, time to go, Treat. Toriel's gonna murder your face. However, I love writing sane Toriel, it's a shame she'll never show up again. 
> 
> Know what does shoes up? My tumblr! http://nihilismpastry.tumblr.com/


	4. For Every Door There's a Keeper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things go wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gore Level: High
> 
> It's high for a reason guys.

Toriel put a heavy paw on your shoulder, and twisted your around, and pushed you forward. "Now, please don't be a stubborn child. It is almost bedtime, you must go back upstairs." You pushed your feet into the ground, small rocks slicing them open, sending a burning pain through your feet. Toriel didn't seem to care as she added more pressure to your shoulder, her claws ripping through your shirt, and scratching at your skin. "Would you like me to read you a bedtime story? Maybe a cup of warm milk would be a nice treat as well-"

"No!" You twisted around, facing yourself directly in front of Toriel. Her eyes widened, but she stopped, her paw still on your shoulder. "What's behind that door? Why would you keep it a secret?"

"It is not something naughty children get to know about." She took a step forward, causing you to take a step back. "Now go upstairs, my child." You curled your fingers into your palms, but stood your ground, eyes staring into Toriel's green ones. Her paw slacked, until it fell to her side, and she took a deep breath. "I am so sorry my child. I did not think..." You shrieked as she grabbed your hair, pulling it by the very roots. You could feel some of the hairs rip out, and pain travel through your skull as she began to drag your forward, your feet dragging across the ground. You tried to gain some footing, but she walked too fast, your legs slipped out from under you, dragging along the ground. Your hands flew up to your hair, chipped fingernails digging into her soft fur, trying to pry the paws from your scalp. "Were you not content here? Did you not think that I would be a good mother to you?"

"I have a mother!"

She scoffed and began her ascent up the steps. You knee slammed against one of them, sending a shock of pain up your leg, causing you to squeal. "Your mother let you fall into a mountain! She is not fit to be a mother, only I can protect you." The smooth stone changed to wood, the scrapping against your bare legs was less painful here. "I will take care of you, no matter the cost. I know you're not a bad child, just curious, as all children are." She went up the next flight of steps, your head slamming against the wooden railing, it made you see stars. "I will give you a proper punishment, and then we can go play."

The carpet slid against your legs, irritating the scratches along your skin, blood staining the carpet. You heard a door slam open, and your bed came into view. The grip on your hair disappeared, and you felt yourself life into the air, before you were placed on the bed. You blinked, trying to get your bearings, as Toriel came into view. There was blood staining the fur on her paws, and you could see strands of your hair tangled in her fur and clinging to her claws. She grabbed the blankets and quilts, wrapping you in a tight cocoon. She then leaned down, and pressed her lips to your forehead. You shuddered, but she didn't seem to notice as she wished you goodnight, shutting off the light, and locking the door behind her. 

You stared into the darkness, the fear burning away under the rage that began to boil in your blood. All the things she said about your mother began to play on a loop, twisting and turning the knife of betrayal deeper into your heart. This woman didn't know that much about you, not much information had been volunteered. What made her think she could just erase everything in your life, that way she could now be your 'mother'. You already had a mother, who made a lifetime worth of mistakes, but she was still your mother. She cared about you, and would be devastated if you never came home, if she knew that you had replaced her with Toriel. You dropped onto your side, keeping within the confines of the blanket cocoon, yet being mindful of the bruises all over your body. It was a comfort, one you desperately needed right now. You flexed your fingers, two of them popping, voicing your fears in a way that your mouth refused to. 

What if the flower from before wasn't really something your mind made up. You'd been all over the ruins in the last seven days, had seen a shell of what had to be a city. Maybe the flower had been a monster, maybe he really did want to help you? Then again, Toriel had wanted to help you too, and you were now sporting a giant bruise on the side of your face. But didn't the flower mention something about a 'her', did that mean he wanted you to avoid Toriel? You shut your eyes, and focused on your breathing, stopping the flow of questions. Right now, you needed focus on getting healed up, and then getting away from Toriel. If there was an empty city, than that mean there was a place that you could keep yourself safe until you figured out how to get out. At the same time, you really wanted to see where that door led, you were almost certain it lead to a way out. Why else would Toriel drag you away form it like it was Chthulu himself? 

Your eyes began to grow heavy, and your rage became a slow burn that was settled more in the back of your mind, ready to be called upon again the minute you needed it. Exhaustion soon replaced the rage, and you fell deep into a dreamless sleep, not even the pulsing headache disturbing you. 

* * *

Toriel came to your room the next morning, your tray loaded with toast, eggs, and a crap shaped apple. She set the tray down beside your bed, and sat on the bed itself, the furniture creaking under her weight. You inched away from her, but she grabbed ahold of your arm and yanked you up, and into her embrace. "Good morning, my child. Did you rest well?"

"..."

She pulled away and stood up. "I have many things to do this afternoon, however we will go to the opening as soon as you finish breakfast and dress." She gave a small smile, one that looked too casual. You wondered if she forgot everything that happened last night, or maybe she thought you would forget, or attribute it to a nightmare. Whatever the case, it wasn't normal, and it freaked you out more than anything. Toriel left you alone again, and you slowly unwrapped your cocoon from around your body. You dropped the blankets onto the floor, and carefully picked up the metal tray. You quickly scarfed down the food, before setting the tray aside and pulling on a pair of sweats and a shirt that was a tad bit tight on your body. Once you looked halfway presentable, you went downstairs. Toriel sat in her green chair, knitting something with red yarn, a pair of tiny glasses on the edge of her nose. Her fingers worked carefully and quickly with the task, not pricking herself on the long needles, or getting her fur caught in the fabric. You had to clear your throat to get her attention. "Oh, I'm sorry, my child." She set the small bit of fabric into a wicker basket beside her chair. "I was just knitting you a new sweater. All of the clothes I give you never seem to fit."

"..."

She pushed herself out of the chair, her dress falling into place. "Come, we should go, yes?"

You followed behind her, not fighting her. You were afraid that, if you did start making a scene, she wouldn't take you to the gap again. You couldn't put that at risk, no matter how weird or violent she was. It could be the one time your family had gone searching for you, or maybe an entire search team, police and all. You could argue all you wanted once you got back, in the case that your family didn't show up. Not this particular time, anyway! You were sure your family was still coming for you, they had to miss you as much as you missed them. It took time to narrow down all the places you could be, considering there was a whole city and a countryside that was able to swallow you whole.

You twisted and popped your fingers as you followed Toriel through the puzzles, your thoughts not far form the subject of your family. You frowned when you bumped into Toriel, almost slipping and falling onto your butt. You gripped a wall corner for support, and rubbed an aggravated bruise under your eye. You leaned to the side, looking around the woman, curious as to why she stopped. Standing in the middle of the hallway was a frog creature wearing heavy armor that had spikes growing out of the sides. Its black eyes were blank, but it was obviously intelligent when it hopped forward, the armor clanking together. A deep croak sounded from it, the words unintelligible to you, but must have had some meaning to Toriel as she frowned.  She pushed you back with a paw, keeping you behind her form, and the frog creature croaked again, this time louder. You could smell ozone and smoke again, Toriel must have started using her magic. Something warm and nutty dispersed into the air, reminding you of mustard seed. There was another croak, and you could hear metal clash against metal. 

"I have asked you and your kind to stay away from my territory." Toriel said, her words hard and monotone. "I will not be so blatantly ignored." A dark orange flame ignited in her hand, the flames curling and licking the air, brightening the room. It was bigger than the one she had used in the kitchen, hotter too, you could feel it even though you were behind her. "Go back to the city at once."

You took a step away from Toriel, allowing you to catch sight of small white pellets flying around the frog's head. They reminded you of fireflies, but were twice as large, and had spiky edges. You could hear them buzzing from halfway across the room, you wondered if they were actual bugs, and not magic. You didn't get a chance to answer as the spike between you and Toriel raised up from the ground, causing you to yelp and jump back. "Go back home, My child. I will see you soon enough."

You didn't bother to protest. 

* * *

That frog had shown up like an opportunity, a wonderful opportunity. Since Toriel would be busy with it, she wouldn't notice if you happened to slip down to the door to see where it would go. You hurried down the steps and through the hallway, ignoring the bloodstains that littered the area. The deeper you went down the corridor, the colder it became. By the time you reached the door, goosebumps were growing along your arms, and your teeth chattered. You pressed a hand against the door, just to flinch back form it when you touched it. The door was cold as ice, it almost hurt to touch, was that why Toriel made you go away? You pursed your lips, and planted your feet on the ground, and pressed your shoulder against the massive door. No, you weren't going to let the woman take up your thoughts. She had hurt you, if the door was actually dangerous she should have just told you, not dragged you up two flights of steps by the hair. You pressed all of your weight into the door, and pushed back with your legs. Your muscles bunched and strained, fighting against the weight of the door. You could hear it scrap against the stone floor, and inch by inch it gave way, forcing your legs to scramble and catch up with the rest of your moving body. 

 The when the door finally opened, you were greeted by a small room. There were small holes in the ceiling, casting down dappled light from the late afternoon sun down on a green mound full of grass, and a golden flower with a single eye. It straightened up its stem, the green eye widening when you slowly walked into the room, the eyeball looking you up and down. You weren't sure why it was so surprised, when you were the one who thought he was only a figment of your imagination. That meant he must have been right about Toriel, and you should have probably followed him when he asked you to.

"How did you get out of there?"

"She's not home." You said, stopping close to the mound, but not stepping on it. You weren't sure how Flowey worked, but you didn't want to step on his roots or anything and damage him. "I guess you were right after all. Toriel is..." You shrugged. "Anyway, how do we get out of here? Do you know a way to the surface?"

He nodded, and his shocked expression melted away. "Yup~! It'll take a bit to get out of here, mostly because the main gate is blocked. Toriel wouldn't want any of her kids getting out of the ruins, and has a guard dog on the other side of the next door. If you don't get him away from the door, you're gonna be in for a nasty surprise." He tilted his head, the petals drooping with the movement. "Then of course there's Toriel. She should be back in the house by now, she's probably already looking for you. You're going to have to get her to either call off that guard dog, or let her take her back upstairs with you." His entire iris and pupil shrunk in his head. "Unless you're going to fight her. She did mess you up real bad, didn't she? Maybe that's the best option, it's all up to you, of course. I'm not the one who has to live with the decision."

You stared at the small flower for a moment, twisting your fingers and causing three of them to pop. You couldn't fight Toriel. You didn't have magic, or any kind of weapon that could potentially hurt her. That just left you with talking to her, something you didn't think you could do without getting mad all over again. If you didn't do it peacefully, that mean the 'guard dog' on the other side of the door would kill you, or give you back to Toriel. You glanced down the hallway, and to the other giant door, this one, like the other, had scrolling along the signs, while the largest image was completely burned away. Whatever it used to be reminded you of a butterfly like shape. 

"I'm not sure how to do this." You admitted at last. "Toriel got me pretty bad last time I was down here, she's going to-"

"My child!" You whipped your head around, and backed onto the mound, earning a choked yelp as you did what you had feared doing earlier. "Get away from the weed this instant!" She rushed towards you, hand outstretched, ready to snatch you away the moment she got close enough. "I told you to never come down here!"

What in the hell were you going to do? Toriel wasn't going to listen to anything you had to say, and you couldn't get to the door. If there was ever a time you wish the ground could swallow you whole, this would be it. You grit your teeth and twisted around, running down the corridor with all the adrenaline your body could muster. You heard the goat woman scream, and you could smell ozone and smoke again. You didn't dare look back, fully expecting to get a fireball in the face for your efforts. Instead you kept running, your lungs burning from the effort, and your feet going numb from the cold stone floor. You were so close to the door now, it was no longer the size of a normal door, and now a gigantic monolith of stone. You braced yourself as you got closer, and shut your eyes, fully ready to either slam into the door, or to get burnt alive if this door didn't open. 

As expected you slammed into the door, but it slide open with ease, and freezing cold bit at your face. You stumbled forward, your momentum keeping you moving, but not as the same speed as before. Your eyes fluttered open, and a hazy white, red, and blue filled your vision, before you collided with it head on. Pain erupted in your abdomen, and a thick, metallic liquid filled your mouth. You stumbled back, your hands clutching the enormous hole in your stomach, blood oozing between your fingers and into the snow on the ground. You pressed your hand harder against your wound, trying to stop the bleeding. That's what you were supposed to do, right? Or did you need to put an actual cloth to it? Your thoughts were becoming a muddled mess, one string of them beginning, just to stop, and then start another far more obvious thought. You felt the ground shift under you, before pain erupted in your chest, and more red and orange clouded your vision. Wet and cold surrounded you now, and your limbs were too numb to move. You couldn't even breathe anymore, everything was so cold. 

You heard snow crunch, and something deep and muffled over that. Was someone talking to you? The orange dissipated, but the red was still there, now mingling with a dusty pink. Pain erupted in your skull, overtaking the numbness that had settled into your sluggish body. It was like you got ripped in two, tendons snapping, and veins rupturing, the initial blow quick, but the effects lasting. Then there was nothing but darkness, something so sweet you were almost happy to embrace it. 

Almost. 

Words slipped past your lips, blood bubbling up along with them, and oozing out of the corner of your mouth and into the cold that you were laying on. They were so quiet, a jumbled mess of sounds really, that you wondered if it mattered. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ha! How's that for a different chapter? Yes, Sans killed Treat. But maybe she has enough determination to keep going? Maybe? Possibly? Who knows~! Also, I like to think that the places that have the grass have small holes that allow sun to come through, hence why I write it that way. 
> 
> Know what doesn't get sunlight? My tumblr! http://nihilismpastry.tumblr.com/


	5. Snow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It could be real?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gore Level: Low
> 
> It's not really gore, honestly.

"Oh look, the human's still around." Your eyes fluttered open, and you found yourself staring face to eye with Flowey. You frowned, and looked around, not seeing any snow or blood. Instead it was all darkness, green vines, and a staring Flowey. You slowly sat up, your back popping and muscles stretching, as if you were getting up after a good night's sleep. You had thought you were back in the caverns, but that wasn't the case either. You didn't see any stone, you didn't even feel a real floor, everything was just layered darkness. "Don't bother looking around, not much to see."

"Where are we?"

"The point between life and death." He said. "Your soul dragged me with you in an attempt to save yourself. It's not really me, but more of an extension of me via my magic." He tilted his head to the side. "You could say I cheated the system. Or that I'm just a figment of your imagination. Doesn't matter to me. What you need to focus on, is what you're gonna do."

"Do?"

He nodded. "You could just die. I wouldn't blame you, it's been a pretty rough couple of days, huh? Got dragged up the stairs, chased by a crazy goat lady, and murdered by a Smiley Trashbag. Throwing in the towel sounds like a piece of cake."

"But that means I'll be dead, right?" You said. "Because this is the state between life and death? I'll..." You'd be dead, no one would know it, and they would be looking for you in vain. Your family would never see you again, and with the way you had spoken with them last? There had been nothing meaningful about it, not the type of image you wanted to leave behind. Then there was your husband, what would he think? He was a strong man, if not a bit of a ditz, and he would be a widower if you died here. You knew he could probably function just fine without you, maybe even have a better life, but...Was it selfish to want to see him again? To not be abandoned in the dark like this? 

_I don't want to die._

The words were engraved in your mind, and left your mouth as soon as you thought it. You didn't want to die, you wanted to get out of the ruins, from underneath the mountain, and go back home. You wanted to tell your parents that you cared about them, and would be more considerate of their feelings and wishes. You wanted to tell your husband that you loved him, and maybe even start a family if you ever got the chance to get back. There was so much that you wanted to do, and it would all be ripped away if you died here and now. You hopes and dreams depended on you getting up, and leaving this place. 

"Flowey, I'm not going to die here." You said, voice firm. "How do I get out?"

The eye narrowed, and the petals seemed to wither on the spot, becoming a sickly yellow. "You sure you wanna do that? Wouldn't be easier to die? You don't wanna get impaled and decapitated again, do you?"

"It won't happen again."

Flowey stared at you for a moment, but you held his gaze. You weren't going to back down, you were going to go home, no matter what it took. The flower huffed and straightened its head, the petals became their healthy dark gold again, no longer withered and sickly. "Huh, didn't expect that. You're no DETERMINATION soul, but you've got just enough, even if it's rooted in fear and guilt." A swirling gold star appeared over your head, casting the both of you in its light. "When you wake up, you're gonna be at the place where you decided to stand your ground, the place you were both the most scared, and the most brave. You'll be able to change something, maybe not die, maybe die again. That's the great thing about resets, you never know what you get."

High pitched laughter filled your ears, and the light became brighter. You shielded your eyes with your hand, but it soon became too bright, and you had to shut your eyes. Gravity became nothing, and you felt like you were floating. You were so cold again, but no longer numb like you were before. You could hear chatter, but it was too fast pitched for you to actually understand. Then the cold became warmth, and your feet felt planted on the ground. You could feel rocks poking through the thin soles of your flats, and could hear the wind whistling between the rocks. You felt grounded now, though with that feeling also came an overwhelming onslaught of fear. Your eyes snapped open, and you found yourself staring at an on coming Toriel, arm outstretch, fingers ready to snatch you away. A quick glance behind revealed Flowey, who was watching you intently, probably expecting you to die all over again. 

You took a deep breath, twisted around, and practically flew down the path again. You heard Toriel screech your name, but it went over your head as you hurried down the path. You could make it this time, you wouldn't die, you couldn't die. When you reached the door, you grabbed a hold of a column keeping the ceiling upright, and flung yourself behind it, your back slamming into the wall, knocking the air out of your body, and sending a bruising pain down your spine. You could feel your hand burning on top of that, but you ignored it all as you listened for Toriel, her footsteps becoming louder, as was her wailing. You saw a flash of gray and plum, before her footsteps stopped, only inches from your hiding place. 

 "No, no, no, no, no, no!" You heard cloth shift, and a breathy sob. "Why didn't I...?"

You remained silent, keeping your breathing quiet, a hand over your pounding heart, listening to Toriel sob for reasons that completely baffled you. If this woman was so dead set on keeping you here, then why didn't she check every nook and cranny of the room? This was only supposed to be a small distraction until you could form a proper plan, not actually be  effective. You heard cloth shift again, and footsteps echo through the corridor. You shifted slightly, looking behind the pillar, and watching Toriel walk over to the door, her fur stained with blood. She raised a paw and curled it into a fist, but hesitated when it was only inches from the door. A shudder wracked her frame, and she shook her head, pressing her paw to her face. You hid back behind the pillar, and listened as her footsteps echoed through the corridor, becoming softer and softer the further she got. You waited a few moments, fully expecting her to come back and check the pillar, claiming that she only fooled you. 

When she didn't, you stepped from behind the pillar, a grin stretching across your lips. Well, that was one obstacle down, now you just had to get past the guard on the other side of the door. Last time you just ran into them without thinking, but this time you had a level head, you could figure out how to get past them. They had no reason to be suspicious of you, and vice versa. You walked up to the door, and pressed your ear against it, the cold sending a jolt through your body. You couldn't hear much of anything, it was like no sound could pass through the door. You took a step back and clenched your hands, popping a few of your fingers. The best thing to do was just open the door, and explain the situation to the guard. Once they learned that you were being held here against your will, maybe they could tell you how to get to the surface. 

You uncurled your hands, and pressed them against the door. It didn't take nearly as much effort to get this door open, just a hard push, and you could feel cold and wet splash against your face. You wiped it away with one hand, as you slowly exited the ruin, stepping on hard white powder. It was cold, and already soaking through your shoes, making your feet numb. A whimper escaped your lips, and your hands flew up to your shoulders, rubbing the exposed skin. How was there snow? On the surface it was in the middle of summer, and Underground it was...Well there was no clouds, no sky, no way to make snow? You glanced around, now finding the slim form of pine trees covered in snow and ice. Did that tunnel lead you back to the surface? And if it did, where on earth were you? The mountain had pine trees, sure, but not enough to make an entire forest. The mountain was mostly covered in grass and wildflowers, with the occasional tree on certain outcrops. This place was a forest full of tree that looked healthy, and had enough snow to go all the way to your ankles. You looked up, seeing no sky, but thick white fog that obscured your view of any potential sky or ceiling. 

"F-Flowey?"

But nobody came.

Your fingers curled into your now numb skin, and you kept walking forward. Of course the plant couldn't follow you. This place was filled with snow, he probably wouldn't be able to survive it. It was all up to you now, to figure out where on earth you were. Honestly, it wouldn't have surprised you to know you weren't even on earth anymore. You continued walking, you body now shuddering enough for your teeth to shatter, and your eyes watered as the wind blew past you. You were starting to go numb again, though this time it was from being cold, and not dying. How did you even come back to life anyway, was Flowey the one who did it? You shook your head, shaking a few snow flakes out of your hair, and back into the air. Thinking about that wouldn't be a good idea right now, you had to get to shelter, and find someone to tell you what was going on. You passed through a wooden archway, this one not as ornate as the ones in the ruins, and crossed over a wooden bridge. It was pretty sturdy, far more than what you thought it would have been considering that it was a freezing cold forest. However, you were still thankful to get back to solid ground, you didn't want your sudden bout of luck to run out, and you snap the bridge in half from your weight. You looked down the side of the gaping chasm, just to see craggy rocks in various shades of gray, brown, and lavender. There were some small trees as well, and ice that had grown between the cracks, creating slippery spikes that would probably kill you upon contact. 

You shuddered and backed away, just to feel your legs slip from under you. You shrieked, and fell backwards, your head slamming against something hard, and your vision burning white. You remained on the ground for a few moments, your head pulsing with a dull pain in the back of your head. Snow continued to fall, numbing your face, and being surprisingly soothing to your poor head. You were so tired, maybe you could just stay there for a little while, then get back up later when you felt better. You exhaled slowly, and your eyelids became heavy. The snow continued to fall on you, soothing the many cuts and bruises that you had all over your body, even the pulsing in your head was becoming just a dull throb as you drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Sans hefted his cleaver over his shoulder, watching the rabbit monster back away slowly, her palms up. "Look, I didn't mean it, right? I'd never try to steal from Grillby, he's like family!" She bumped into a table, upsetting the empty cup, and causing it to roll to the floor with a crash. Glass shattered everywhere, and it drew the attention of the few occupants that hadn't bothered to become nosy when he had first caught the rabbit trying to steal. "I mean, I've got the chip right here."

She made a move to her pocket, but shrieked when he slammed the blade of his cleaver into the wooden table. "nuh-uh, that ain't how we pay out here." He said, and gestured to the elemental. "not for stealin' anyway. unless you want me to rip those ears off, i suggest you go back to the inn." The rabbit bounded out of the bar, pushing one of the patrons onto the floor in her haste to leave. Sans watched her go, his eye following her as she went down the snow covered road. He sighed and ripped his cleaver out of the wood, and went back to his usual seat at the bar. He dropped his cleaver with a clatter and slumped forward, letting his skull rest against the sticky bar counter. A creature made entirely of bright orange flames walked over to him, a cup in one hand, and a blood stained towel thrown over one shoulder. He set the cup down in front of him, and pushed it forward, some of the red liquid sloshing onto the counter. "heh, thanks grillbz."

He sat up, and downed the drink in one go, making the elemental crackle. Sans ignored him though, and slammed the glass down, wiping away the remains with the back of his hand. The elemental began to sign, his fingers moving quickly, though far too jerky to be considered precise. 'Check my traps. I'll let you take a quarter of a portion.'

Sans snorted, a sound that whistled through his teeth. "that's not even worth getting pissy about." He said. " 'sides, i've got a job from somebody right now. shouldn't have left, but ya know," He waved a hand dismissively as he jumped off the stool, and plucked up his cleaver. "union regulated breaks and all."

The fire elemental made a rude gesture, that Sans was happy to return as he left the bar. The warmth of the bar still pessed against his back as he went outside, the snow was starting to come down now. The snowflakes had clumped up, and it was more raining snow poffs at this point. Small poffs, but big enough to become a nuisance as he walked down the main path of the town. There was almost no one on the streets, being the middle of the day, almost everyone had gone to work. The few people that were around were on their lunch breaks, probably on their way to Grillby's or to pick up a snack from the general store. A few of the monsters would nod, while others wouldn't meet his eye socket, or would go to the other side of the road altogether when it was clear he wouldn't move off his path. He soon left the town, and began making is way through the forest. He didn't pass any of the other sentry's as he went, that didn't surprise him too much, they were probably re-calibrating the puzzles, or searching the traps. He kicked aside some burnt dog treats, turning the snow a slushy gray.

As he went deeper through the forest, he noticed that not all of the puzzles were fully functioning. Some were even taken apart completely, their pieces scattered across the ice and snow in a poor reconstruction of the garbage dump. Papyrus had gone on and on about a new idea he had, his brother must have decided to go through with it. His grin stretched up at the edges as he thought of the taller skeleton. No doubt he'd be looking at the fully constructed version of the puzzle, and have to play guinea pig to make sure it actually worked. It was no skin off his nose, his brother liked to do these things, it kept him entertained. Speaking of which, it'd been awhile since the old lady had bothered to talk to him. He'd spoken to her a hundred times before, but talking to her again after all these years had been a refreshing pat of his routine, even if it was just for a job. Sans was a handy man though, and didn't mind working. Plus, looking for humans was already his job anyway, doing it directly like this gave him an advantage over his competition.

He paused as he came to the gorge. It separated this area from the giant door that led to the old part of the Underground, the only thing connecting the two areas was a stone bridge built and painted to look like wood. Unsurprisingly, it was covered in snow, probably thanks to an avalanche, they were common enough in this area. Sans had been tasked with cleaning the bridge just last week after a snow storm. He sighed and slowed his pace further, not the least bit excited about the task. If he stalled, then the snow would harden, and he'd have to chip away the snow turned ice. He kicked at the pile, some of the snow popping into the air, and onto another part of the pile. The rest of it got into his slipper, soaking it. He kicked them both off entirely, and expanded his soul frequency, checking for another one that could be buried under the massive pile. It was standard procedure, something he didn't like to do. If another monster got dusted, that meant more food for everyone else, and one less potential cannibal Sans would have to worry about. But if someone important was down there, and he couldn't save them, then his head would be up for the chopping block.

Ah, the wonders of responsibility. 

He was snapped out of his thoughts when he felt a soul nearby. It was reaching out, begging for someone to help it, but not sending out its frequency. He allowed his frequency to expand, focusing on the soul calling out to him. When his frequency nudged the soul, he felt a jolt, and tried to bring his frequency back into himself. His soul continued to reach, even taking the other soul and consuming it entirely. Sans hissed and clawed at his ribs, reaching for a soul that could not come out of his chest, that wouldn't obey him. A ball of pale blue magic began to form thanks to the concentration of magic, forming into a similar shape, a soul? Why would his core magic bother to-

His thoughts drew to a blank as an orange soul rose from the snow. The rust colored light was weak, barely even pulsing. He tried to drag back his core magic and his frequency, but they wouldn't listen, both were now far too close to the human soul. Sans hefted his cleaver, and rushed forward, slicing the axe through the air. It missed entirely, and his core magic parted, resembling a massive, decaying maw. Helpless, Sans could only stare as it bit down on the other soul, causing orange liquid to spurt everywhere. He could feel his soul frequency slip away, the song becoming distorted and unraveled, like something a drunk would compose. The orange soul slipped out from his core magic, a series of gray marks where his core magic had bitten down. The soul sank back into the snow, and his core magic and frequency went back into his soul, bringing a wave of exhaustion through his bones, a pounding in his head, and a soft piano melody pulsing beneath it all.

The hell was that? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They're soulmates now, yay! Hmm...But why would his soul just up and do it? Last time, he did it by accident, this time it happened on its own...Also, I wanted Sans to be aware of things immediately, I don't think I wrote about Sans realizing that there was a Soul Frequency playing in his head, he just kinda acknowledged it. So yeah, now he has a reaction. 
> 
> Know what doesn't have a reaction? My tumblr? http://nihilismpastry.tumblr.com/


	6. Questions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You meet a strange skeleton.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gore Level: High
> 
> It's uh, graphic.

You were cold, much too cold. Your body wracked with shudders, and there was a dull pulsing in your head that sounded like a quirky, electronic melody. You sank deeper into the soft surface that you were laying on, trying to go back to sleep before you became too aware of yourself. You were so tired, after the ordeal with Toriel, and hiking through the cold, you just wanted to sleep until your body wouldn't let you sleep anymore. You groaned and tried to flip yourself over, but you found that you couldn't move your arms, they were bound by something cold and slimy. You cracked open an eye, and found yourself staring at a wooden ceiling. In the middle of it was a bare light bulb, and a long tattered string hanging from it so that it could be turned on and off. The light was on, casting its dull yellow glow onto the ceiling, creating wispy shadows that would occasionally move and writhe. You tilted your head some more and arched your back, trying to catch a glimpse as to what bound your arms. The thing was an off pink and long, dripping with a red liquid that smelled far too metallic to be paint. Your stomach swam and you wriggled your wrists, trying to get them free from the strange binding. It felt like a sea cucumber, but slicker and tougher as well, no matter how much you stretched and wriggled, the knot wouldn't come undone. The thing itself was tied to a post that was staked into wooden floorboards, right next to the...pillow thing you were lying on.  You gave it a hard jerk, hoping to rip it away from the stake, but nothing happened, it only sprayed a few droplets of blood onto your face. You flinched away, and rubbed your face onto the pillow, taking in the scent of wet dog. 

"that ain't gonna do anything for you, human." You paused in your efforts and twisted onto your back and tilted your head forward the best you could. There was someone standing in the doorway. He was bulky in build, and wore ragged clothes that looked like they would slip off of him if the wind blew the wrong way. His hands were in his pockets, and his head was covered by the hood of his sweater. "unless you wanna be my new rope, i suggest ya stop squirming." You stopped immediately, your mind barreling down to the worst case scenario, and what that 'rope' really was. You watched as the person approached you, now noticing their legs were white and contorted to look like bones. This was a monster then, you hadn't escaped the Underground, and he had captured you. He knelt down, and you caught sight of a skull with a single glowing red pupil in the right socket. "ya know where you are?"

"U-Underground." You said. "And you're a monster, right?"

He hummed. "guess you met the old lady then." He leaned forward, his pupil shrinking in his socket. "so, tell me what ya did."

"Did?"

He studied your face, not moving an inch as his pupil shifted in the black socket. It was so strange, almost like watching a marble roll around without the assistance of a finger. "ya really don't know, huh?" You shook your head, and he made a tsking sound. He let his hands drop to the floor, and pushed himself up, his movements slow and labored. He walked out of your line of sight for a moment, but came back with a giant axe in his hand. You pushed your bare feet into the pillow, trying to back away from him, your heart hammering in your chest as he came closer to you. "W-what are you doing?"

He didn't answer as he brought the axe down, a spray of blood covering your face and hair, and your scream echoing through the room. When you didn't feel any pain, you opened up your eyes, and glanced up. The skeleton's grin was pushed up at the edges, and the axe was over his shoulder. You glanced back to your hands, and saw that they were freed from the...'rope'. You immediately sat up, and rolled off the pillow, slamming onto a wooden floor, and bruising your left arm. You payed it no heed as you continued to back away from him. The skeleton didn't seem to care as he went over to a small table cluttered with tools, buckets, and a few books that were splattered with what you were hoping wasn't blood. He grabbed a bright orange bucket that had some kind of symbol scribbled in black marker on the side, and hauled it over to you. You held up your hands, fully expecting him to behead you, but he didn't. Instead he set down his axe, and hauled the bucket up with tow hands now, properly holding it. "hold your breath."

"What-ah!" Your words became a garbled mess as a freezing cold liquid rained down on you. It stunk to high heavens, and had a salty taste that made your already queasy stomach twist and churn all the more. You tried to wipe it out of your eyes, but your hands scrapped against something hard yet slimy, causing you to fling said thing away. It made a dull thunk of the floor, hinting that there was some weight to it. You pushed some of your hair back, and glared at the skeleton monster, but he wasn't even facing you. He was at the table, picking up another bucket. "Don't you dare!"

He turned back to look at you, and plucked up a white bucket. "nah, ain't gonna do it again." He dropped the bucket in front of you. "strip."

"Excuse me?"

"did i stutter?" You opened your mouth, but shut it. Why in the hell would a skeleton of all things, want you to strip your clothes? It couldn't do anything to you, could it? Oh god, what if it shoved a bone inside you? That would rupture everything inside, you'd probably bleed out before he even realized what he was doing couldn't really be done. You pushed yourself back, just for to hit a wall, a jolt of pain making you whimper. The skeleton knelt down, and grabbed you by the arm, you shrieked and tried to grab the hand holding you, but stopped when you felt cold metal against the side of your throat. "been awhile since i had anything this fun. you're a real treat, huh?" He let go of your hand, and grabbed at your shirt, tearing the fabric with an ease that made your heart beat against your ribs. Next went your bra, the fabric much more stubborn than the shirt, and requiring him to pull twice. When your breasts were finally free, your hands flew up to your chest, covering yourself from him. He didn't care as his hand grabbed the waistband of your sweats, his fingers slipping down and grabbing your panties as well. You shut your eyes as he tore your clothes, almost yanking you forward with the force of it. You reached out and grabbed his shoulder, steadying yourself before you tripped and fell onto his axe. 

The song fluctuated for a moment, but fell away as soon as it did, going back to the annoying tune.The monster backed away as soon as he was done, and you took the time to cover yourself up before he took notice of your nakedness. He didn't seem to care as he turned on the heel of his pink slipper, and went to the windowless door of the shack. "i'll be back in a minute."

"..."

He opened the door, and a flurry of snowflakes drifted into the room, along with a cold wind that made you shudder more than you already were. When the skeleton left and the door slammed shut, you sat silently in the room. Your heart hammered against your ribs, and your mouth was dry, your stomach gurgling and feeling all too full of a sudden. You leaned forward and opened your mouth, a stream of vomit escaping you, and splattering onto the ground. The taste of bile, and the stench of blood didn't help, and before you knew it, there was nothing left for you to vomit. You slowly picked yourself up, walking over the off green puddle in the floor, and the strange chunk of white and blue, they looked like scales. You sat down on the pillow, and used it the best you could to cover yourself, your body now aware of just how grimy and crusty the pillow was. It made your stomach churn all the more, and you gagged, but nothing came. You wanted to throw up, to bleed, to do anything to get your thoughts off the skeleton that said that he would come back. You didn't want to know why he was coming back, you didn't need to, why else would he demand you strip? 

Your eyes stung as you began to ask question after question. Each one becoming worse, violent, sickly. Nothing would come up from your stomach, and after a few moments here was nothing left for you to pop. There were only your thoughts, twisting and winding their way through your brain, eating away any hope that there was a way out of this situation. 

_Is he gonna rape you?_

_Is he going to let others do it too?_

_How do monsters rape humans?_

_Could you become pregnant?_

Your head jerked up when the skeleton came back in, more snow and cold air following him in. There was a messy bundle in his arms, and his axe over his shoulder. He paused mid-step, his pupil shrinking as he looked you over. "you alright?"

"..."

He tossed the bundle onto your pillow. "got ya some clothes. my clothes, that way ya smell like me." 

Clothes? He wanted you to get dressed? He wasn't going to hurt you? Would he still hurt you? 

The questions swirled and bit at you, they were better questions, not as bad questions. You could ask these questions, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was pretty heavy, and I think it needs to be divided up with the next one. It's not as heavy and concerning as this one. Speaking of which, hopefully it didn't grow ya'll out too much. 
> 
> Know what isn't gross? My tumblr! http://nihilismpastry.tumblr.com/


	7. Her Captor Searching

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The human's captor leaves her be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gore Level: Medium
> 
> That's a rare rating!

Sans dropped the human onto his mattress. She had stopped responding a long time ago, right after he had come back with clothes for her to wear. He had to clothe her, and pick her up to get her to his house. He watched the human, the piano melody playing a skull throbbing cacophony, blocking out most of his own thoughts. He sighed and shouldered his cleaver again, noticing that she flinched whenever he did the action. It made sense, it was a weapon, and he had threatened to decapitate her with it not too long ago. That was an error on his part, one that was too late for him to correct now. He watched her bring her legs to her chest, and laid her cheek against her knees, her hair hiding her face from him. She looked stable enough, not traumatized to the point of no return, but scared enough that she probably wouldn't try to jump off his balcony if he went downstairs. He turned on his heel and went to the door, opening it just enough for him to slip out, and shutting it behind him. He trudged downstairs, and put his cleaver down on the tile counter top, before climbing up to the cabinets. Everything in the kitchen was up too high for him, mostly thanks to his brother's height, and the fact that he had full run of the kitchen. Sans rarely went into the kitchen for anything, it was too much work to climb the counter, and look for something to snack on. 

He glanced over the many bottles and jars of food, most of it looking mushy, and floating in a colorful liquid. He pushed some of them aside, and continued looking, trying to find something the human could probably eat and no yell at him over. He paused when he caught sight of something white and green, he pushed away a jar full of eyeballs, and plucked it up. He jumped off the counter, and went over to a drawer under the microwave, and pulled it open. There was some cutlery, a few paper clips, a dented lighter, and other small things that probably shouldn't have gone with eating ware. He grabbed a spoon from the drawer and slipped it between his palm and the jar, before grabbing his axe, and heading back to his bedroom. When he kicked the door down, he heard the song spike, but it didn't change its swirling and chaotic melody. The human had looked up sharply, her eyebrows furrowing when he shoved the jar and fork into her hand. "eat up."

She twisted the jar around in her hands, eyes scanning it. "What is this?"

"pear jam." He said. "don't eat it all." She looked up from the jar, confusion written all over her face. She didn't understand why he was feeding her and wanted to ask why he would bother with it, or something like that. It was the usual series of questions the maiden asked the big bad monster. "look, i gotta go back on patrol. you stay put, and i won't have to separate you from anything important, capiche?"

She nodded slowly, but still didn't eat the jam. He had seen enough humans shovel food into their mouths, so he knew that they had no problems eating. Maybe this one had just eaten. He knew the Ruins was decently stocked with food, and he doubted Toriel would let a human go hungry. He went out his door again, this time creating a bone and shoving it between the the doorway, blocking the door. He could use a blue one, it would ensure that she would stay in place, but that would take far too much magical energy. He went downstairs and out the door, actually ensuring it was locked for once. Once that was done, he made his way downstairs and back down the path through town. The lights on the ceiling were beginning to dim, hinting that it was almost time for curfew. There were more people milling around, there was even a packed house at Grillby's, as he passed by he could hear the chatter and laughter from the inside. He paused outside the window, watching as Dogaressa and Lesser Dog played a game of poker at a table, and Grillby pouring drinks at the full bar counter. 

He shook is head and kept trudging, his gaze fixed straight ahead. He went to the next brick building, a squat thing that needed a new sign and a new window. The current one was cracked, and had a wooden plank covering up the hole. Sans opened up the door, drawing the attention of the old librarian, her blue eyes boring into his eyes he entered and shut the door behind him. Her scaly snout wrinkled, but she didn't object as he went to the shelves filled with colorful books. He scanned the many titles, most of them non-fiction, with a few mysteries or romances jammed in-between. The library in Snowdin was by no means the best, he remembered the one in New Home had at least a collection of well over a thousand books, but it held all the essentials. Things on magic, funeral rites, maps of Snowdin, some monster history, and even a census from when the city was first founded. 

He squatted down as he checked the bottom shelves, double checking others as he continued his hunt. He didn't know why he was bothering to check this place though, it wasn't something that was continued 'appropriate' to speak about so plainly. Sans had thought that Undyne, with her brash personality, would have killed the conservative type of society that monsters lived in. Nope, it was still the same, even after a hundred years or so. He pushed himself up, and went over to the desk that the librarian was standing behind. She glanced up from the yellowed pages of the book she was stamping, her eyes narrowed. "What? We don't got any cannibals here."

"i need a book." He said. "heard it was a real meal of knowledge." The woman didn't laugh over the joke, but he didn't really care. Book jokes weren't his best work, he hadn't had to use them in years. "got anything on soul mates?"

 "..." He shoved his free hand into his pocket, and took out a small, gray ticket that had a printed number on it. The paper hadn't even hit the table before it was taken away, and shoved into the librarian's skirt pocket. "no, but I heard from my cousin that there's some things floating around in Gerson's personal collection."

Of course it had to be in a whole area away. With curfew coming, he wasn't going to be allowed to leave Snowdin until morning tomorrow. Then he had work, and now the human to worry about, there wouldn't be much time to make it to Waterfall. Looks like he was gonna have to pull some strings and break some necks then. He walked out of the library and back into the snow. The melody in his head had calmed somewhat, enough for him to be able to fully ignore it, a good thing. He didn't know if he was going to be able to live his whole life with that in his head, it was gonna drive him insane. The idea that the human in his house might be bonded to him was enough to make him plunge his own cleaver into his skull. She was bigger than most of the other humans that fell down here, with a full belly that would be enough to fill both him and his brother for a few days by itself. And now she was in his room, just sitting there, not being taken to the local butcher so he could keep his ration chips out of the machine. It was almost enough to piss him off, and try the full extent of their 'bond'. 

He growled and clutched the handle of his cleaver a bit tighter, the tips of his distal phalanges sinking into the worn wood. For now he was going to have to keep her alive, and more or less comfortable. While he didn't know for sure if the human was bonded to him, he also didn't want to treat her too badly, and cause her to 'fall down'. Humans didn't become comatose like monsters, but their minds seemed to shut down, leaving functioning shells that had no real connection to the world. When humans needed to be fattened up, most of them ended up like that, and were easier to kill that way. However, if the human in his room ended up like that and they were bonded to him, it would likely have consequences that could cripple them both. 

He made his way up the steps, and unlocked the front door. When he went inside, he could hear thumping over his head, the human had decided to get up and walk around. That didn't surprise him, they hadn't managed to snap the bone, he could still sense it on the other side of the house. He went over to the couch and flopped down on it, the cushions groaning from the action. He dipped his hand into the lime green cushions, and dragged out a black remote that was missing a couple of buttons. He pressed one that had duck tape attached to it, and the TV flickered to life. Huh, static today. He clicked it off as soon as it became apparent that nothing would turn on, he already had noise in his head, he didn't need it as 'ambient background noise'. All it would do was set his already shitty mood to even shittier levels. He groaned and let his head thud against the back of the couch. What he would give for a bottle of ketchup, that brain paste Grillby had given him wasn't even half as good as the tomato product. It had been a favorite of his back in the day, the only thing he liked to slather on food, it helped keep pasta tasting like pasta, but killed most of the burnt taste that was a staple with Papyrus' cooking. If only there had been something that would kill the rubber texture that was also a staple with his food. He wondered if he could feed some of it to the human, or if it would kill her. 

His gaze drifted back to the ceiling, the footsteps had stopped awhile ago, leaving the house quiet. The piano melody hadn't changed though, so her soul was still filled with chaotic emotions. He couldn't tell the difference between any of them, there was too many happening all at once, and his own soul frequency couldn't differentiate between them. Was she even feeling anything, or was it just a natural reaction to his soul frequency basically raping her own? He shut his sockets, and tuned the song out, instead focusing on the habitual habit of his ribs rising and falling in a rhythmic pattern. It took a bit of effort, forcing magic to pump through his bones and move a set of them that rarely had a reason to move, but it was calming, and took his mind off of the human upstairs, and the soul frequency entangled with his own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, the title is a parody of black butler. I've taken a lot more thought into the soulmate system, so things should be explained better when we get the book. Also, some of the roles have changed due to the story, so take a gander at what may have changed. Also, writing Sans is so hard, he's a complex guy by default, but now he's crazy. He doesn't even admit to being insane in this version, because the insane don't believe they're insane. That make sense? 
> 
> No what doesn't make sense? My tumblr! http://nihilismpastry.tumblr.com/


	8. The First Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The skeleton and human finally interact.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gore Level: None
> 
> Yup, I'm back in the world of the living. Please enjoy this chapter after such a long wait! Thank you very much!

You were hesitant when the skeleton had passed you off a jar of jam, and left you alone. You had remembered that Toriel ate mostly various baked goods, all of them with less than kosher ingredients. You popped off the lid to the jam, and sniffed it, sugar and syrup wafting into your nose with a slight earthy scent. You dipped a finger into the jam, the warm mush clinging to your finger. You stuck out you tongue and licked at the mush, and was mildly surprised when you didn't keel over immediately, or when you didn't feel your guts try to purge themselves out of your stomach. You dipped your finger back into the jam and began to eat away at the food, not even bothering with the spoon. It wasn't for a lack of manners, more that you didn't trust the green spots all over it. You didn't want to contract some sort of disease in this place, you were sure your health insurance wouldn't cover the bill. 

When you got tired of your fingers being sticky, you closed up the jar, and set it on a cluttered bedside table. You wiped your hands off on your baggy shorts, smearing the residue along the rough fabric. You glanced around the cluttered yet bare room, not sure what you should be doing now that you had eaten. There was a door that led to the outside, but it was blocked up with furniture and a large toolbox that had writing along the sides. There were no windows for you to try to crawl out of either, which meant you were stuck for now. Even if you got out from a window, you weren't sure how you would survive the cold with the clothes you had, or if you'd run into the skeleton. Plus, how high were you again? 

You left those thoughts in the back of your mind as you pushed yourself off the mattress, a pile of crumpled sheets slipping onto the floor with your movement. You picked over piles of clothes, a few books that had faded or torn off covers, and other things you wanted to call tools but weren't too sure of. When you got to the door, your fingers clasped around the cold metal of the door knob, and you twisted it. You raised an eyebrow, surprised it had even did that much, and jerked the door forward...

Just for it to stay closed. 

Your lips curled into a frown as you stared at the plain looking door. You didn't see anything that should be stopping the door, but then again wouldn't the skeleton have magic too? You took a few steps away from the door, the idea of magic making the door seem much more dangerous than it would be in a normal situation. Your thumb snaked across your fingers, and pushed down on your ring finger, causing a satisfying pop tremble through the digit and release some of the tension that hid beneath the skin. Your thoughts twisted and burned in your head, but they only slipped away into ashen nothingness as you banished away any dangerous thoughts. You weren't sure what you were supposed to do in this new environment, but you were afraid of the skeleton, and what it planned to do to you. You didn't feed something you planned to kill right away, neither did you clothe it, or lock it away. 

Another pop sounded through the room, this one accompanied by a sharp pain that helped ground you to this twisted reality. You trudged back over to the bed, and crawled onto the grimy mattress, the coils moaning under your weight. Gentle pops and tugs lulled your deeper and deeper into the tired feeling that had floated on the edge of your conscious. Before you knew it, you were fighting the heaviness in your eyelids, and your knees curled up to your chest as you succumbed to a nightmare ridden sleep.

* * *

Sans was almost certain that the human was going to make a run for it the moment he opened the door. Magic pulsed and twisted inside his bones, already expanding into the ground to form a trap. He pushed the old slab of wood open, and slipped inside, his body acting as a block form the slither of an opening. However, instead of getting rushed by the human, he was surprised to find her sitting on his bed, her knees to her chest, eyes staring at him wearily. He'd heard her stop moving awhile ago, but he hadn't expected her to get comfortable enough to get in his bed. Didn't humans have some type of aversion to strangers beds or something? He saw it all the time in their media, and from the human's initial reaction to getting thrown on it. He let his magic dissipate back into his soul as he shut the door and locked it. Upon hearing the tell tale click from the door, the human's arms tightened around her legs, and her soul frequency picked up in tempo.

She was still afraid of him, guess he should expect that much. He looked like her insides, and he did threaten her. He shoved his hands into his pockets, and ambled over to her. "looks like ya didn't die on me, huh?"

"..."

He stopped in front of the bed, unsurprisingly her feet sank into the old mattress, and she began pushing herself away from him. He wondered what the human though he was going to do to her. Sure, he threatened her with an axe, but he'd also gone out of his way to feed her. A quick glance at his bedside table showed that she even ate some of the food, and had even saved some for him. She didn't have the most stubborn soul if she eventually ate some of that jam, despite her initial hesitance. 

Lucky thing for him. 

"hey now, no need to go and do all that." He sat on the mattress, and kicked off his shoes. "just tryin' to get comfortable and all. 'sides, you're the one on my bed, remember?" 

Her eyebrows furrowed, but she didn't say anything, her eyes flickering down to look at his bed. He kicked off his shoes, letting them fall by the wayside, and swung his legs onto the bed. A whimper escaped the human, but she didn't move away from the corner that she'd backed herself into. At least she hadn't started screaming, if she did he didn't know what he was going to tell Papyrus. His younger brother had gotten in the door an hour ago, and wasn't privy about their new, heh, 'guest'. He wanted to be sure on a few things before his brother found out. He shut his sockets, and listened to the cacophony laying in his skull, bouncing around like one of those moths that got caught in there sometimes. 

"Y-You're not gonna do anything?"

"huh?"

Cloth slid against cloth, and the bed springs squeaked, but he didn't feel her come any closer to him. "You're not gonna," She swallowed heavily. "kill me or something?"

"why'd i do that?" He twisted around so he could look at her. She was huddled closer to the wall, somehow, and her fingers were twisting at unnatural angles. "don't know what ya know about monster, but i ain't gonna kill ya treat. not unless ya give me a reason to." He almost laughed when her face pinched up into a disgusted look. "now that look don't suit ya." He reached out to touch her, but she jerked back, slamming her head against the wall with a bang.

Sans snorted, but didn't assist her as she hissed and recoiled, her hands flying up to the soothe the pain. Whelp, he hadn't expected that kind of reaction, this one clearly didn't pay attention to her surroundings. Once again, something that could work in his favor later down the line, if she didn't damage herself first. He watched the human continue to rub at her skull for a few moments, low curses and insults flying from her mouth. "hey, that's how you talk about the guy that saved ya?"

The human's head jerked up, her eyes blown wide. "You did not-"

"yup, guess i'm your knight'n shining armor."

His grin widened as she shook her head, a finger jabbed in his general direction. "You didn't 'save' me! You locked me up!"

"to keep ya safe."

"You put an axe to my head!"

"you wouldn't shut up." She opened her mouth, but it snapped shut as he reached behind him and dragged up his cleaver. "you're pretty loud. is it to much to ask for you to be dead quiet?"

She was silent the rest of the night after that. 

* * *

You weren't sure if it was morning or not when you awoke again. The room was dark, just as dark as when you'd finally fallen asleep last night. A quick glance to your right, and you found the skeleton. He was laid out on the majority of the mattress, his legs akimbo and his arm shielding his sockets as if light was seeping into them. You untangled yourself from a pillow you'd stolen last night, and began to drag yourself across the mattress, making your way to the floor. A loud moan escaped the mattress, and you stopped, your head whipping back to stare at the skeleton. When he didn't move, you continued your snail's pace crawl, getting closer and closer to the edge of the bed. Just as your toes hit the floor, you heard an obnoxiously loud yawn, and felt cold bones on your arm. "lookie who's awake."

"Ah-"

You shrieked when your body collided with the bed, your vision blurring black for several seconds. When the dots cleared out of your eyes, you were staring up at a grinning skull, a crimson light spilling from his socket, and bathing the entire area in the dull glow. You hunched you shoulders, trying to become smaller, as if you could actually hide from him like that. "thought ya could get away that easily, treat?"

"No...?"

"right." He let go of you and leaned back, giving you just enough room to sit up properly. "don't got time for that bullshit anyway." You watched as he got off the bed, slipping his socked feet into a pair of shoes. "get dressed."

You remained where you were, watching the skeleton rummage through the mess on the floor, occasionally stopping to put something into his jacket pockets. You weren't about to follow this guy anywhere, that was only asking for trouble. What if he led you straight back to Toriel? You were pretty sure that woman was more than willing to rip you to shreds if she saw you again. No, it was better to do anything but to follow behind the skeleton like a blind duckling. 

As if he picked up on your thoughts, he paused in his rummaging, and glanced back to you. His socket was narrowed, even though his smile was still in place. "you're insistin' on making this difficult, aint ya?"

"..."

The skeleton sighed, a sound that reminded you of leaves scraping against the sidewalk, before he straightened himself up. "yup, we're doin' it the hard way." Before you had a chance to move, you felt the sting of cold metal on your neck, and was staring at an equally cold smile. "now let's cut out the shenanigans and get moving, yeah?"

"S-sure."

His grin widened, and he flipped the blade over, petting you with the cold metal. "that's a good girl."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like this chapter is pretty boring, but I was honestly just trying to get used to writing these two again. Treat feels off here, but I think I got Sans down decently. Eh, I think...Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this new chapter! Even if it was kinda choppy. 
> 
> Know what isn't choppy? My tumblr! https://www.tumblr.com/blog/nihilismpastry


	9. The Perfect Seat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You get the perfect seat to do nothing, and see nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gore Level: ???
> 
> I mean there's no gore, but...
> 
> Also, I'm so glad you're all so happy to read this thing. Even after being away for so long, to see you guys enjoying it, makes me very happy inside. So thank you all so much for being patient with me, and reading this train wreck. ^_^

You'd never been one to run around in the snow. Back home you'd more likely stay curled up with your computer and a mug of hot cider, than skip through the snow that would plague your home every winter. More than once your husband had dragged you outside to help him shovel snow, or just take 'romantic' walks through the park on a full moon night when the snow was coming down in soft clumps. Now as you marched through knee deep snow, the slushy residue soaking through your borrowed pants and chilling you to your core, you wish you'd spent more time outside. You rubbed your gloved hands, trying to get the friction to help heat you up. The skeleton had been kind enough to give you plenty of layers of clothes, but even with all the shirts and jacket you were wearing, you still felt far too cold. The wind whipping through the trees, causing them and you to bend under its ferocity, was taking a toll on you. More than once you had to stop, and curl your arms around yourself in a poor attempt to try and keep warm. 

You grit your teeth, eyes shut as another blast of wind blew through the cavern. With it came a smell that was rotten and yet held a cloying sweet scent that made you want to gag. "How much further?"

"is the human afraid of the snow?" The skeleton stopped, hands shoved in his pockets, and that stupid grin still on his face. Not only did that expression never really change, but it didn't look like he even needed to open his mouth to speak. Something that was weird and made him seem even more monstrous and demonic, instead of like a failed biology class prop. "we're pretty close, just gotta move your ass faster."

"I am moving." You bit out as another blast of wind whipped your hood clear off your head. The skeleton balked and yanked it forward again, obscuring most of your face from view. You stiffened, focused on the long fingers peeking inside your hood like twisted spider limbs. The tips were unnaturally sharp, and could probably gouge your eyes out if he so much as flicked his fingers in the wrong direction. 

The skeleton peeked down at you for a moment, before dragging you forward by the hood. You yelped, your legs barely managing to obey the order to move, snow getting kicked up in your wake. "humans get upset over the smallest things." His voice went up an octave. " 'ts too cold, too hot, too rainy." He shook his head. "you'd think you'd be grateful i didn't kill ya."

"I-I am," That much was certainly true. "I'm just cold." He was a skeleton for God's sake! You doubted he could even feel the cold thanks to his lack of skin and nerves. He was lucky as far as you were concerned, he didn't have to deal with the very real fear of frost bite. Also, that brought up a very vital question. "If you don't mind me asking," You ignored his immediate 'I do'. "Why are you keeping me alive?"

He paused, nearly causing you to run into his slightly shorter frame. His grip on your hood tightened, but he didn't lash out at your or change his mind, thankfully. After a moment he gave a short laugh, and continued to pull you forward. "i'd say it's to fatten ya up and feed ya to my dog. not that you need much help with that-"

And with that you ignored him.

* * *

Waterfall was a dangerous place to bring a human. Despite everything that had happened in the last eight years, Undyne still lived in her small house over by the snail farm. It was a waste in his taxes, but Sans wasn't exactly keen in telling the explosive fish that. Letting go of the human's hood for just a second, he hissed and scratched at the crack in his skull. Undyne didn't make it a habit to check up on him at his sentry station, not often anyway, and instead sent her second in command to do it instead. Not that Sans had much to worry about in that regard, so long as he actually hid his little treat. His gaze shifted to the human, her arms were still wrapped around her body, and she was openly staring at him. She wasn't the least bit perturbed by the fact that he was staring right back at her, which was probably a good thing on some level, they were going to end up seeing a lot of each other. 

He snorted at his own joke, before reaching out and grabbing the human's hood again. She flinched, but didn't otherwise argue as he led her to the sentry station. The wood was cracked in some places, and the roof was removed in some places. It was part of 'company policy' to fix up the stations, but he didn't really have it in him to get to it. Most times they'd stay all beat up until Papyrus got sick of them looking like shit. But now that he had the human around, it'd probably be a good idea to at least get them up to code. The less Devilin had to bring back to Undyne, the easier his life would be. Well, not really...

It was a nice thought. 

He shoved the human under the counter, ignoring her squeal of righteous indignation, and sat on the three legged stool, the warped wood moaning under his weight. Yup, another thing he was gonna have to fix here soon. He dropped his cleaver onto the counter, before he propped his elbows on top of that, and set his skull on his hands, hooking several fingers into his fucked up socket. A light scritching noise came from under the counter, and he felt rough cloth rub against his bones. A disgruntled squeak came from the human, along with a few 'unladylike' curses that would have made her parent blush in shame. "i should wash your mouth out with soap."

"Is cursing just something monsters don't do?"

"yeah. we're pretty fucking prudish."

"..."

He could practically see her unamused expression through the wood. But it was true monsters were prudish, something he'd have to teach her about eventually. Jeez, it was like raising Papyrus all over again, expect the human could be eaten and/or bartered with. "tough crowd, treat."

"That's not my name." She said. "It's like if I called you 'skeleton'."

He shrugged, despite the fact she couldn't see it. "doesn't hurt me none. i'm sans though. sans the skeleton, if ya want the whole mouth full."

Useless information, damn near trivial really, but humans were strange. They seemed to connect to things they could put a name to, as if it gave that 'thing' more value. Isn't that why they named their automobiles, pets, and brats? Without a name, that thing didn't hold nearly as much importance, just another useless product or person in the pile. By telling her his name, he was hoping that it would set a connection in her brain, a connection that would eat at her soul and cause the name 'kidnapper' to slowly be erased and become 'Sans' instead. Likely, she would make a connection to the font before-

"Like the font?"

Yup, hit that one right on target. "i was around before that, but sure, like the font." Better have her think of something as stupid as a font, than anything else. "could say i'm just the type."

"No."

"looks like you've got no sense of humor, treat."

She didn't answer him, which was probably a good thing. Humans seemed to hold their sense of humor in high regard, as if it was the most important aspect to them. Not that he blamed them, laughter was the best medicine next to a glassful of-

_**Snap!** _

_**Pop!** _

_**Crack!** _

He stiffened, his magic flaring through his bones. The fuck was-

_**Pop!** _

_**Crick!** _

He unhooked the fingers out of his socket, and looked under the counter. The human was curled up into a ball, one of her finger pushing down on her thumb, causing a loud snap to emit from the joint.

 _Oh fuck no_. 

* * *

Being stuck in the same spot for hours on end, in the same position, on the damp ground was something straight out of purgatory. You rubbed your ribs again, a glare set on your face even though the skeleton-Sans, you reminded yourself, couldn't see it from his position on the stool. He had kicked you earlier, right in the ribs and without any hint of aggression on your part. On minute he had been staring at you, the next he had kicked you, and then went back to staring. He had eventually went back to sitting properly on the stool when you began to cry, but you doubted it was out of guilt, as much as that would have made you happy. You shifted around again, careful to avoid the skeleton's legs, you weren't sure what to call the bones, and try to find a more comfortable position. 

"I'm hungry."

"..."

The words were just to fill the near silence, you didn't expect your unwanted companion to actually respond to you, despite how talkative he'd been earlier. The only other sounds had been a light thumping sound on the wood, quiet whispers brought on by the humid wind further down the cavern, and that stupid song that was still playing on a never ending loop in your head. You let your head prop up against the warm wood, and pressed your free hand against the spongy ground. It was like sitting on fresh sod, but it smelled almost like honey suckle and moss instead of shit. You let your fingernails sink into the material, enjoying the cooling effect it had on your skin. It was unnatural, almost like that muscle relaxer cream you had to use when you pulled your thigh muscles a few years back. Maybe you could use it on your ribs or something?

Your thoughts came grinding to a halt when you saw Sans push himself up. The axe came into your view again, and you could practically hear your own heartbeat, but he didn't raise it in your direction, instead he held out a hand. "let's get goin' treat. union mandated break and all that."

Monsters had unions-wait, that wasn't where your brain should be. You pushed yourself out of the cramped space, avoiding both his hand and the axe, a low moan escaping your lips when you were finally standing upright and normal again. You raised your hands above your head, giving an obnoxious sigh, and pushing yourself up on your tiptoes. Sans didn't seem to care as he started walking away, his free hand shoved in that jacket pocket. You continued to stretch for a few more seconds, watching his retreating figure in mild interest. You wondered if he would ever 'accidentally' forget you, and give you a chance to run away. 

Your question was answered when he stopped and turned around to face you, that stupid grin still on his face. "better come on, treat. pretty sure you're dying for a meal." He flipped his axe around in his hand, and that prompted you to move, if only to keep your head attached to your neck. 

You put yourself flat on your own two feet, and quickly followed behind him. The violet walls began fading to a dull gray, and the humid air became frigid as you pushed through the tunnel. Soon the spongy ground transformed into a thin ice that you had to focus walking on, until that too was covered by the thick snow. You kept pushing though, not wanting to get dragged around again. You were almost certain that he would do it again if prompted, or he'd be convinced you were trying to run away, and decide to cut you up. You rubbed at your ribs again, the pain being enough of a deterrent from running. If you were going to run, you would need plenty of supplies, and a fully functioning body.

At the moment, you had neither.

You reached out and gripped the banister, carefully going up the ice slicked stairs of Sans' home. The skeleton unlocked the door, without a key strangely enough, and entered the house. You followed behind him, and shut the door. You'd been surprised when you saw the living room at first, mostly because the place was clean. The lime green couch didn't have even a slick of stains on it, the floor looked vacuumed, and the few paintings on the walls were dusted as well. It looked like a show room, a very tack show room that was destined for a Halloween spook house or something. 

You remained standing by the door, while Sans went over to the couch and flopped on it. His jacket became bunched up, and his chin sat on his chest, but he didn't seem to care about his sloppy appearance as he pat the sofa cushion next to him. Was he wanting to bond or something? You glanced over to the axe handle that was still in view, the rest hidden by the couch, and then back to the skeleton's face. You took off your shoes and sat them by the door, before shuffling over to him and sitting down. The cushions groaned under you, and you could feel some of the coils trying to reach up and stab you. Good grief, this was absolute proof he clearly couldn't feel anything at all. There was no way that this could be comfortable for him. 

Your gaze snapped away from him when he turned on the TV. On the screen was a rectangular robotic thing that was wheeling around on one wheel. There was a series of paper flowers behind it, and several bat like creatures making them. A feminine male voice was emitting from it, though it was somewhat scratchy and muffled. "And here we have several Waterfall natives creating some of my _gorgeous_ pieces for my new play: _The Living Failures and Blessings_." The red screen erupted a bright yellow question mark. "What's this, am I finally announcing the name of the play? Well yes, but I must thank one of my very own helpers for the name."

The camera shifted to the right, showing what you could only call a melted marshmallow with arms.

Far too many arms.

The bubbling white mass had well over thirty arms twisting around at odd angles, and grasping at nothing. Some of the arms were pale, while others were so dark they stuck out like beetle antenna. Some of them were missing fingers, and others had what looked like tattoos painted on in colorful ink. You could feel your mouth open, and your stomach slosh around in disgust as white globules melted onto the floor of the studio, just to disappear in a veil of red steam. It was something straight out of a nightmare, and it felt so wrong to look at it, like it was even supposed to _exist_ in the first place. 

The screen went black, erasing the horrifying image from the screen. You could hear Sans moving around, but you couldn't rip your eyes away from the old television. You could practically still see the monstrosity, all you had to do was shut your eyes, and it was there once again. 

"oi, treat." You felt cold bone curl into the fabric of your hood, and you were wrenched backwards, forced to stare up at a smiling skull. "we're late."

"B-but that was-"

"yup, a monster." He gave a short laugh. "ya didn't think we all looked like soft and adorable skeletons 'nd goats, did ya? Pretty ignorant, do ya think?"

"..."

No, you shouldn't have expected them all to look the same. But for a monster to look so out of place, like it didn't belong on this plane of existence? Calling it a monster felt wrong, it put a sour taste in your mouth just thinking about it. No, you were almost certain that it wasn't a monster at all, but what else could you call it? Aliens?

Sans jerked your hood again, successfully putting the attention back on him. "come on space cadet, we gotta get back to work."

Your nose wrinkled up. "We're going back to that shack?"

"yup." Sans let go of your hood, but he watched you as you pushed yourself off the couch. "don't worry, this time i'll try my routine on ya. maybe i'll even knock ya dead."

You weren't sure if that was a joke or a threat. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the end of that. This chapter more is a look at how Treat and Sans interact, than anything else. I'll be adding plot in the next chapter though, maybe. Probably. Ya'll know I hate filler. Though, it seems easier to write this time, since I still have a goal in mind each time I write out filler. 
> 
> Know what doesn't have a goal? My tumblr! http://nihilismpastry.tumblr.com/
> 
> P.S. Does anyone know why people write Sans hating Mettaton? I don't remember him caring one way or another in the game. Then again maybe I missed something, I'm in the process of playing it again. Just entered Waterfall on a Golden Ending run.


	10. Spilled Snails

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Treat spills the snails all over the snow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gore Level: None!
> 
> Sorry this update is so late, I just couldn't bring myself to write. So this chapter was very nice to do after so long of wallowing.

It turned out that Sans' 'routine' was some very dark jokes that only served to make you gag and question his sanity even further. The skeleton didn't seem to notice though, or if he did, then he didn't care. By the time Sans had hauled you up, and began leading you away from the water logged shack, you'd heard enough jokes about cannibalism and decapitation to last you a life time. You forced your numb legs to keep pushing forward, the feeling that had just gotten back into them snatched away thanks to the snow. Sans was walking beside you, his body close to the river rushing beside a frosty riverbank. You briefly wondered what would happen if you pushed him in, the current was moving pretty fast, and bones sunk, didn't they? He'd probably either sink to the bottom, or bang himself against the jagged icebergs that jutted out against the fast moving water, once again sinking to the bottom. That would give you just enough time to run, and you could go...Do nothing, because this wasn't a well though out plan, and there was no way for you to know for sure if a magical talking skeleton couldn't just magic himself out of the water or something.

Sans suddenly stopped, the red pupil going so wide you though it would fall out and roll onto the ground. You stopped as well, your arms curling around your middle to try and keep some of the warmth that the mild exercise had provided. "what's he doing here?"

You squinted your eyes, and could make out a tall silhouette in the distance, rapidly approaching closer despite the snow that should have slowed the monster down. A bright red and orange stood out against the snow, reminding you of those popsicles you used to eat on muggy summer days back home. However, your view became blocked when Sans pushed himself in front of you, damn near pushing you into a snow bank in the process. You reached out and grabbed his sleeve for balance, but he didn't seem to notice as he kept his stance in front of you. You could hear the crunch of snow under something heavy now, and a whistle that was so off tune it made the song in your head sound enjoyable. 

"hey bro, what's up?"

The whistling stopped, and you could hear an enraged gasp. "BROTHER, WHY ARE YOU NOT HOME ALREADY, IT'S ALMOST CURFEW!" There was more crunching, and even from your place behind the skeleton, you could see more or that bright orange and red. Huh, it seemed to be some kind of cape. "DO YOU REALLY WANT DEVILIN TO REPORT YOU TO UNDYNE?"

"that ain't gonna happen, bro." The dramatic 'uh-huh' that followed didn't sound convinced. "ya see, that jack in the ass owes me a few favors. even if i got caught, i could cash 'em in."

"STILL, I DON'T WANT YOU TO GET...TRAINED." There was a moment's paused, before you heard more snow crunching. "BROTHER, WHAT IS THAT BEHIND YOU?"

"what's what?"

Another dramatic sigh sounded, before Sans was roughly pushed to the side, tipping face first into the snow. Your body stiffened and you took a step back, fear spiking the end of every nerve in your body. Sans was a sight to see, a skeleton straight from the bowels of hell itself, but this one could easily out do him in a fright match. He was as tall as some of the trees, and just as thin and willowy, his bones were an off gray, and his sockets lacked any light source that could be called 'eyes'. However, it was his teeth that were the real show, jagged and sharp, they looked almost alive coming from his gaping jaws. The skeleton stared down at you, his perma-grin widening at the edges, making him look manic. "OH MY GOSH, SANS! DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS IS?"

Your head almost whipped itself off your neck as you looked to Sans, who had managed to pull his skull out of the snow, some of the half melted ice water was dripping out of his empty socket. "heh, funny story, paps. ya see that gal there? well, she's my bride."

Your eyebrows furrowed, and you completely tuned out the high pitched squeal that emitted from the taller skeleton. Was he serious, was that why he had been keeping you around? It was a virgin sacrifice, eating you, or even giving you back to Toriel? Did this monster really think you were a necrophiliac and would go as far as to marry it? You felt your stomach slosh, and a rotten taste fill your mouth as his words replayed over and over in your head, overtaking anything else that had been there previously. 

Rough hands grabbed your shoulders, and dragged you into a firm yet cold chest, a metallic smell clinging to it. "I HAVE A SISTER NOW! THANK THE STARS, I HONESTLY THOUGHT SHE WAS JUST A PART OF ONE OF YOUR DEVILISH SCHEMES!"

Sans' grin was far too laid back, and he looked like the most amused skeleton alive as he watched you get assaulted by his brother. "nope, my bride. heh, probably gonna be my baby's momma too."

The next thing you knew, there was a splash of dark greens and browns all over the snow, the older skeleton squealing that you were broken, while Sans laughed at your expense.

* * *

 You stared at the skeleton sitting across from you, the glass of luke warm water becoming more and more tempting to throw at his smiling face. When he had dragged you from the outside, and back to his house, you fully expected him to reveal that his outburst had been nothing but a joke. Something to keep his brother off his back about a shady business deal or something, but all he had done was push you on the bed, and give you a glass of water. There was no punchline, just his stupid smiling face, and the giddy sound of the other skeleton singing terribly off key downstairs. 

 "heh, you're looking pretty down in the dumps, _babe_."

"..."

"what, my rugged good looks leaving you speechless?"

"..."

"don't worry, what i intend to do has got nothin' to do with talking-"

"Can you please stop!" Your grip on the glass tightened. "Joking around like that is considered terrible to humans, especially when you don't even know the other person. It's creepy and wrong."

"too bad i'm not joking then." He stretched his legs out, his bones brushing against your skin. A shudder ran down your spine, and you dragged your legs up to your chest. "you really are my mate, soul mate that is. trust me, i ain't too excited about it either." He gestured to your stained shirt. "just can't do the whole 'make it rain' trick you humans do." Make it rain-You felt your face become warm, and the taste of bile and snails became harsher on your tongue. "anyway," He said. "soulmates are pretty rare, most don't find 'em in their lifetime. we should open the good bottle over it."

"You can't be my soulmate." You said. "I'm already married back home, and he's perfect for me."

He didn't try to decapitate you on a daily basis. 

"that ain't what your soul thinks, treat." He shrugged, and plucked up a joke book that was missing the cover. "but it ain't my job to convince ya of that. all ya gotta do is keep quiet, keep close, and you'll be fine. capiche?"

You stared at the skeleton, not sure if you should take the half assed explanation with a grain of salt. First off, there was no such thing as soulmates, the closest thing to that would be the contracts that the Charmers had with their runes. Second of all, there was no way on heaven or earth that you would willingly stay by this monsters side as his 'bride/soulmate/wife'. Your husband was back on the surface and waiting for you, likely worried and searching frantically for you, not realizing you were so close to home. Knowing him, he likely insisted on helping the police, and was shucking off his normal duties in order to find you. Javier was a very stubborn man, if nor a bit of a blonde, and wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. 

The thought made you smile into your glass as you took a sip of the water. If anyone was your 'soulmate' it was definitely that idiot, you both had been through a lot together, there was no one else you'd even dream of spending eternity with. You shut your eyes, a glimpse of a man with dark eyes and even darker hair coming to mind, his arms covered in tattoos that he only showed off when at home. You could practically hear that purr in his voice, the one that would make you blush and giggle like a school girl, even after three years of marriage. 

The image was harshly removed, however, when you felt the bed shift and the springs groan as weight was removed. You opened your eyes, just to find Sans dropping his book onto the floor, and slipping his shoes back onto his skeletal feet. "i'm gonna be downstairs, stay here."

"I don't have much of a choice."

* * *

Sans hadn't wanted to spill the beans, not right off the bat like that, not without warning. But if he hadn't said something, that meant that Papyrus would pester him as to who his 'bride' was, and then once he figured out it was a human, then she'd have to go through the puzzles. As much as Sans loved his brother, he didn't love him enough to risk his own soul through the insane traps his brother set. They were genius to the point that sometimes they worked a little too well, and even with the three gimmes, he didn't think the human would make it. She was too stupid for her own good, and would end up dead before she made it through the first puzzle. 

Which kinda meant he would die too. 

Eventually.

He let his grin relax when he came in view of his brother. He was sitting on the couch, a notebook on his lap, and an old Mettaton special in the VHS player. There were some dishes on the table with red stains on them, it looked like his brother had already eaten. He made his way to the couch, and allowed himself to sink into the cushions, his chin resting on his sternum. As if this was a cue, his brother twisted around and pushed the notebook into his face, covering his view of the television. "BROTHER, I HAVE BEGUN PLANNING THE BONDING CEREMONY!"

He pushed the notebook back a few inches, allowing him to actually take in the many doodles his brother was looking on. There were a few cakes, various flower decorations that were mostly echo flower centric, and something that looked suspiciously like a fountain. "looks pretty cool, paps. but uh, ya know people don't-"

"I KNOW THAT, BUT WOULDN'T IT BE NICE?" He said, bringing the notebook back to his chest, his eye lights glowing in his skull like buzzing fireflies. "I'M SURE ALL OF SNOWDIN WOULD LOOK FORWARD TO A BONDING CEREMONY. IT WOULD HELP BRING HOPE BACK TO EVERYONE! ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY SEE IT'S A LAZY SLACKER LIKE YOU AND..." The eye lights died away as Papyrus frowned. "I'VE ACTUALLY NEVER HEARD OR SEEN YOUR MATE BEFORE TODAY, SANS."

Whelp, that was his cue to bring this to a close. Papyrus didn't need to know that his mate was a human, not yet anyway. Humans were a tricky bunch, and became downright feral when they were in a situation they didn't like. Normally he'd just let them 'cut loose', but he couldn't do that with this one, she had to stay in one piece. He'd done a lot of things to take care of his brother in this hellhole, and he wasn't about to let that all come undone thanks to some human that had leeched herself to his soul. "she's just a shy monster, bro. kinda like shyren."

"HMMM..." He glanced down at his notebook again. "I SUPPOSE THEN AN ELABORATE AND GINORMOUS BONDING CEREMONY WOULDN'T APPEAL TO HER THEN?"

"probably not."

Papyrus whipped a pencil from out of nowhere, and started scribbling away, the scraping sound filling the room. "WELL THEN, THIS IS GOOD FOR ME TO KNOW. I DO NOT WISH TO EMBARRASS MY NEW SISTER!"

"uh, paps, about that." The skeleton didn't stop, but grunted in acknowledgment. "don't go tellin' people i'm getting hitched quite yet."

"AND WHY NOT?"

"i don't want grillbz callin' me in on my tab." He gave a humorless chuckle. "he always said i'd never get married, and he'd double my tab if i ever managed to find someone who'd put up with me."

Papyrus shook his skull. "AND THIS IS WHY I TELL YOU NOT TO MAKE RIDICULOUS DEALS."

"heh, sorry, paps."

The skeleton raised his left hand. "I, PAPYRUS ASTER, WILL REFRAIN FROM DIVULGING YOUR SECRET YET VERY EXCITING SOON TO BE MARRIAGE."

"thanks bro."

"OF COURSE!" The skeleton went back to scribbling, this time far slower. "I CARE FOR YOU BROTHER, AND I EXTEND THAT TO MY NEW SISTER AS WELL, IF SHE WILL HAVE IT."

It was a pretty nice sentiment, something he'd have wanted if there was something normal, maybe even natural, about his soulmate. However, he was bound to two weeks worth of meals, and that sentiment could go to hell if it meant his brother could get fed properly and stay safe. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know why, but Sans became so salty by the end. I have no idea why he even turned out that way either, that was him doing all the talking, not me. Jeez. Also, Papyrus is too pure for this world, and I love him to bits. I totally see him as the guy who would want to ship his brother and his brother's lover. Also, we got a glimpse of Javier! I love his character, he's a sweetheart. 
> 
> No what isn't a sweetheart? My tumblr! http://nihilismpastry.tumblr.com/


	11. A Visit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans goes to visit a...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gore Level: None
> 
> But still, Sans is insane.

Sans stared at the human, her chest rising and falling in her sleep, fingers twitching every so often. She looked almost like that mutt that used to go around stealing Papyrus' bones, all flopped over and uncaring. He glanced from her, to the patio door, which was now locked and boarded up with some old bits of plywood he got from a friend that owed him a favor. If he added the new lock he put on the door, and some good old fashioned threats, he doubted the human would try to escape the room in this scenario. She didn't seem the type to push too hard at something that proved difficult, from what he had observed so far. Honestly, he expected her to kick around and whine for a bit, before falling right back asleep in his bed. 

He shouldered his cleaver, and slipped out the room, sparking a little magic into the lock to activate it. Once he heard the tale tell 'click', he shuffled down the stairs. The living room and kitchen were devoid of sounds and smoke, Papyrus had slipped out earlier that morning for a meeting with the rest of the Royal Guard. That made things a bit easier for him, since he wasn't blocked for the Waterfall watch today. And yet that was exactly where he was headed, one hand stuffed in his pocket, the other carrying his cleaver. Snow drifted to the ground, and a heavy fog filled the air that morning. Looked like the core had gotten repaired again, which meant a blizzard wouldn't be too far behind. His gait became slightly faster as he moved through the snow filled corridor. The gentle rush of the stream filled the silence, almost fooling passerbys that it was a good day, maybe even beautiful. 

The snow slowly became slush, before it was completely replaced by lavender stone. A fish headed monster sat at his sentry station now, a thick bandage wrapped around her mouth. She flushed a dark green and hunched into herself, but otherwise didn't move from her spot and demand to know where he was going. That was expected out of Shyren, she was probably the second worst sentry in the entire Underground, next to him of course. He continued on his way through the marsh, passing the occasional monster who eyed his cleaver warily. He would grin at them all, but it didn't help their anxiety, a few even moved to the other side of the corridor to avoid him altogether. His pace began to slow as he came up to a cave, crystals glowing from the ceiling, bathing the room in a warm light. He kicked at the wooden posts that made up a crude door like structure to the cave, the dull sound echoing through the cavern. "ya up, old man?"

There was quiet shuffling, a few scrapes, which were soon followed by cursing, before a single yellow eye stared at him through the darkness. "And what's a Snowdin punk like you doing here, eh?"

"wanted to look at your stuff." He said, bringing his cleaver from off his shoulder, and letting it hang loosely from his hand. "thought ya could use some business."

"..."

There was more scraping, before a blue light shimmered from inside the cave, pushing away the darkness. At the entrance stood a tortoise monster, one eye withered shut, the other staring at Sans. He had a chipped mug in one hand, and something that looked like a faded golden flower in the other hand. He opened his mouth, and tossed the flower in, more scraping sounds filled the room. "So, what is it you're wanting?"

Sans slowly entered the cave, the old monster backing deeper inside to give him room. The place was filled with yellowed books, chipped glasses, rocks that had been smoothed and polished to look like jewels, and coins of various sizes. They were all thrown haphazardly on wooden shelves, some threatening to topple over onto their heads at a moment's notice. Not that the floor was any better, with stacks upon stacks of books and magazines, most of them missing their covers, or mold had already started to eat away at the delicate pages. Sans stepped through it all, keeping track of the faded words on the spines of the books, occasionally bending down and plucking one up, reading the first page. 

"You passed three books on astronomy, two on aerodynamics, and four joke books," The old monster said at last, leaning against a bed shoved into the corner. "so I know it can't be one of your usual pick ups. So, what'd you do? Threaten to burn down the lab again? Steal Grillby's cut of the food? Try to kill Undyne?"

Sans paused, holding a book with a human woman cradled in the arms of a wolf looking monster. It was human fiction, a far cry from what he actually needed. "what makes ya think i did something bad?"

"I've known you for three hundred years, boy." He said. "Since the time you used to sweep my shop for a nice cream bar, til now, I've never known you to pass up on anything that entertains you. Now you're looking at human romance novels, 'bodice rippers', rather peculiar, don't you think? So," Gerson said, an air of finality in his voice. "what did you do?"

Sans stared at the old monster, phalanges tightening around his cleaver handle. Magic sparked within it, ready to be summoned and devour whatever stood in his way, and feed him their magical energy that was pent up in their soul. Gerson was old, probably the oldest monster in the entire Underground, and had a good reputation, even during these shitty times. Even Sans could remember a point when he could say anything to the old monster, and it wouldn't get around, it would stay in that old man's shop like the disgusting candied leeches the old coot tried to sell.

"i'm gettin' hitched." He said at last. The old monster just stared at him, his annoyed expression still in place. "i just wanted to know a bit about soulmates."

"Your soul actually bonded with someone?"

"yup."

"As in your soul frequency aligned with someone else's?" 

"that's how it works."

A dry laugh filled the room, and Gerson's grip on the bedpost tightened. "Out of all the monsters in this hell hole, it just had to be the worst one, eh? That really shows you who the Angel favors, doesn't it?" The old man laughed again, shoulder's shaking. Sans let him go at it, once again looking through the books for something that could actually help him with his situation. He was aware of how absurd it sounded, there hadn't been a pair of soulmates in the Underground in almost fifty years. Not since...Whatever happened to make this place worse than it used to be. "Well my boy," Gerson said after a few moments, his voice quieting down. "I might have something for you, but I doubt you could pay for it. Not on a sentry's wage."

"so write up an iou and call it a day."

"For this, no, far too risky." Gerson turned to his bed, and lifted up the mattress. A red quilt fell to the floor, tangling with a rusty shovel that was leaning next to the bed. The old man shuffled around for a few moments, hunched over his bed, his scarred shell completely exposed. It would only take a good hit to the deep scar in the middle of his shell, then he could absorb Gerson's power and just take the book. He felt his cleaver hum and wriggle in his hand, approving of the idea, and more than ready to help him in the task. 

Sans shook his head and went back to picking through a pile of books, knocking a mold encrusted one to the floor. Killing Gerson was not in his best interest, it would bring Undick's wrath down on his skull, which would interrupt any and all future naps he was going to take. 

"Ah, here it is!" Gerson shuffled over to him, a thick tome in his hand. It was in good condition, the title still legible, the gold filigree fully intact. "This was made by an extraordinary gentleman a long time ago, while we were still on the surface, in fact." He opened it, dust puffing up into the air, making Sans' cleaver squirm. "It used to belong to the King, and the the Queen after the incident," Gerson said. "but after Undyne took over, she gave it to me. Said something about not being able to look at it." He held it out. "I think you're better off having it, at least until another miracle happens."

Sans dropped the book he had been looking at, and carefully took the new one in his hand. It was heavy, and he could practically feel the magic buzzing in it, the sheer power that had gone into making such a thing must have nearly killed the author, if the magic could still be felt well after a millennia. He adjusted his hold on the book, and tucked ti under his jacket, and into his rib cage. "looks like i'll be pretty busy devouring all this knowledge."

"You should probably find better material." Gerson said. "Your jokes will be enough for you to shatter your soulmate."

Sans shouldered his cleaver again, and held out his hand, and the old man took it without hesitation. "thanks old man, looks like i owe ya one."

"Like I said, that's not the case." Gerson's grip tightened on his bones, and he dragged him down to his level, a grin spreading on his face, revealing yellowed fangs. "I know you're always working on something Sans, so you're going to work on a little something for me. Don't worry, it won't take much time out of your lazy schedule, it's just a tiny something that will cover your debt ten times over." A flash of silver was shoved in front of his good socket, hundreds of tiny runes covering the goat skull. "You work on this, and I give you the book, deal?"

Sans wrenched his grip out of the old man's, and plucked up the bauble. In the mouth was a pouch like thing that had a needle attached, and several other wires and bits that held it together. It almost looked like some kind of esoteric lab equipment that Alphys used to find in the older parts of the lab. He glanced up from the thing, and back to Gerson. The old man was known for his fighting, not his knowledge, if the rumors were true, he never truly had an education. This was likely just something he found and was curious about, another bauble from the trash heap. He slid that inside his rib cage as well, being sure it was wedged between a bone, and the spine of the book.

"gerson my old pal," He took the old man's hand again. "ya got yourself a deal."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kinda wanted to show what Treat was doing, but I feel like there's no point adding it to this chapter? I mean, this one is pretty important since it shows that Sans finally can start researching about soulmates, and just one person is aware that he's getting 'married'. It felt like an awkward slide adding her in after that. That being said, if I have time, I might end up updating later on today again. So be on the look out for that!
> 
> Know what isn't on the look out? My tumblr! http://nihilismpastry.tumblr.com/


	12. Meal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You have a meal with Sans and Papyrus...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gore Level: Moderate

You stared at the boarded up patio, the note in your hand fluttering to the floor to mingle with the rest of the trash and dirty clothes. He was honestly serious when he said you'd have no way out. Not that you'd been planning on running away or anything, the note had gone into wonderful detail about the way he would remove our spine should he catch you, and you also didn't think jumping out the window was the best idea you'd ever had. No, running away was still a goal for you, but you didn't know where to go from here. You knew that there was another cavern beyond this snowy one, but what was beyond that? It was a question that unnerved you, your fingers twisting and popping in response to your anxiety at the question. Because after the lavender tunnels, there could be a whole different area you had to navigate through, or a dead end, or a pit, or...

You shook your head, and went back over to the bed and sat down. The mattress groaned under your weight, but you let yourself sink into the mildly comfortable bed, your legs spread out, and head tilted back to look at the ceiling. You wanted to get a map of this place, that way you would know for sure how to leave. That and maybe a little food, just in case the journey was long. That was it, you didn't need or want anything else, outside your freedom of course. It was even more important to get out of here now that this monster thought it was madly in love with you or something. Your nose wrinkled at the pun, oh god, he was beginning to rub off on you. 

A sharp knock at the door had your heart pounding faster, and you sat up properly, staring at the wooden door. "SISTER, ARE YOU STILL HERE? I WAS WONDERING IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO COME DOWNSTAIRS AND HAVE A CUP OF WATER."

That sounded like Sans' brother, Papyrus, if you remembered correctly. Sans hadn't told you much about him, outside the fact that you both were now technically related. The skeleton had seemed pretty happy about that fact when he found out yesterday, and he was inviting you downstairs...And honestly, Sans hadn't left you with anything to eat or drink. Your stomach was growling, and your mouth was dry. A cup of water, and maybe a snack, would be nice. "Y-yeah, I'm here. I'd like something to drink, but I think Sans locked the door."

"MY BROTHER CAN BE VERY FORGETFUL." You heard the lock twist and click, before it slammed open to reveal the tall skeleton on the other side. "YOU MUST HAVE BEEN SLEEPING SO QUIETLY FOR HIM TO LOCK THE DOOR AND GO ON HIS WAY."

"Yeah..."

You followed Papyrus downstairs and into the living room. He directed you to the couch, and went to where you assumed the kitchen was hidden. Moments later he came back with two glasses filled with murky water, you felt a little put out that he didn't have anything to eat, but decided not to voice anything. You didn't want Papyrus to decide to ship you off to some other monster, or get Sans to drag you back to the room. You took the glass with a quiet 'thank you' and took a sip. It was warm, and had a bitter after taste that reminded you of an old tin can. "So Sans isn't back yet?"

Papyrus shook his head. "HE LEFT THE HOUSE EARLY, IF YOU COULD BELIEVE IT. HE CLAIMED HE HAD SOME IMPORTANT WORK TO DO, BUT THE ONLY WORK THAT LAZY BONES LIKES TO DO IS SLEEP ON THE JOB." He lowered his voice just a bit, sounding more like an actual indoor voice, than straight up yelling. "Undyne would kill him if she ever found out. Hopefully having a human mate will make him more diligent."

"You don't mind that I'm human?"

"OF COURSE NOT." He said with a wave of a gloved hand. "SANS IS VERY...WELL, HE'S SUICIDAL, IF I WERE BEING COMPLETELY HONEST. BY HAVING A HUMAN MATE, I HOPE IT WILL FORCE HIM TO BE MORE CAREFUL, AND PERHAPS TAKE THINGS MORE SERIOUSLY. NO ONE DOWN HERE ACTUALLY LIKES HUMANS THANKS TO..." He becomes quiet, and the edges of his crooked smile dips. You open your mouth, but he cuts you off, his smile coming back full force. "I DON'T WANT TO JUDGE MY BROTHER, ANYWAY. HE'S ALWAYS LIKED SOFT, SQUISHY THINGS. NOTHING SQUISHIER THAN A HUMAN. WELL, MAYBE A SPONGE, OR THAT STUFF THEY MAKE CLOTHES OUT OF, BUT HUMANS ARE VERY HIGH ON THAT LIST."

"Thank you?"

"YOU'RE WELCOME, SISTER."

* * *

Sans dragged himself through the main street of Snowdin, his clothes caked with snow, and the book weighing heavily inside his ribcage. He had only just made it to his sentry station on time that morning, and ended up leaving late thanks to a fight with Shyren. The crack in his skull was throbbing, and no amount of snow packed into the dark crevice was helping to alleviate the pain. He made a sharp turn and went up the stairs, almost sighing in relief when he swung open the door, and the smell of boiling intestines hit him full on in the face. He shut the door behind him and pushed back his hood. "dinner done yet?"

"AND GOOD EVENING TO YOU TOO, SANS." Papyrus greeted, his voice coming from the kitchen. "I WAS JUST ABOUT TO PUT THE FOOD ON SOME PLATES. YOU SHOULD TELL SISTER TO COME DOWN AND EAT, SHE ONLY HAD WATER TODAY."

His sockets narrowed at the words, but his tone remained the same. " 'k, bro."

He hauled himself up the stairs, and payed close attention to the melody playing in his head. It was gentle and quiet, it was so low he actually had to concentrate just to hear it. Upon opening the door, he found that his assumption was correct, the human was fast asleep. Her knees were pinned to her chest, and her arms were curled around his pillow, drool leaked from her mouth, and quiet snores echoed through the room. Not too far away from her head was his note from earlier, a threat that he hoped would keep her in the room in the unlikely case the locks would fail. He had anticipated almost everything except for Papyrus coming home early, and insisting on hanging out with the human. She was still alive and breathing, so clearly she wasn't part of the meal, but how much did Papyrus tell her? 

His goal was to keep the human moderately passive. If she found out that they were eating the fallen humans, she'd get scared, and be more likely to run away. There were plenty of tales about what happened when your soul mate decided to croak on you. Some said you turned to dust immediately, others said you could go mad, and there was a popular rumor in the capital that you ended up with bad luck and a bitter soul. He sighed and sat on the side of the bed, the mattress groaning under his weight. Maybe he could take her out and about, have her walk into one of Papyrus' traps. He could use the excuse of 'saving' her to cut off a leg, and not only would the human think he was her hero, but she wouldn't be able to run away either. She would be stuck in his bed, with no way to run off, and risk getting them both killed.

His distal phalanges trailed down her legs, the soft skin easily dipping under his light touches. The interesting thing about human flesh, was that it was different for every human. Some humans had hard skin, others had it soft, and still others had skin covered with bulbous protrusions that leaked a white liquid that tasted vaguely salty and bitter. The human had some of those protrusions, but they were mostly on her face, and none of them leaked the white puss yet. Her skin was soft, but a peek at her hands showed that they had hard skin growing over the pads of her fingers. Her legs had thick rolls of fat, but he knew he could slice through it easily enough. The real trouble would actually be hitting the bone in just the right way where he would lop off her leg, but not leave a bone that would need to be sanded down.

He didn't want to leave the human with a potential weapon to dust him with.

He removed his fingers as her snores stopped and her eyes fluttered open. She stared at him for a moment before her eyebrows furrowed, "Please don't tell me you were watching me sleep."

"nah, just got in." He got off the bed, and shoved his hands into his hoody pockets. "paps wants ya to come down for dinner though. 'pparently ya made quite the impression."

Her eyes widened and she sat up, the pillow getting tossed to the floor in her haste. "Papyrus opened the door for me, I didn't try to get out. I swear!"

"I believe ya. I believe ya." 

He waited for her to get out of the bed, before following her down the stairs. Her nose wrinkled as she caught the smell of boiling meat, and Sans' grin widened as she sat on the couch, her hands in her lap. Her gaze drifted to the TV, watching as white and silver crashed against each other on the screen, creating a jarring static that had a childish melody playing over it. Her eyebrows furrowed as she watched it, but soon her gaze was torn away, and she looked at the floor. She looked like a kicked puppy, Sans wondered if she acted so scared around Papyrus, or if she enjoyed his company. 

"ALRIGHT, DINNER'S SERVED."

Papyrus set a plate on his lap, before putting one on the human's. Sans snorted at the disgusted look on the human's face as she picked up her fork, and shifted some of the black mold around on her plate. It made a loud squelching sound, and a white powder rose in the air, just to get blow away by her sharp inhale. "I-it looks pretty good."

"SANS TOLD ME YOU WERE A VEGETARIAN, SO I MADE SOMETHING DIFFERENT FOR YOU." Papyrus said, his chest puffing out with pride, and his smile a wide as ever. "IF YOU EVER WANT TO LEARN HOW TO COOK IT, I'M MORE THAN WILLING TO SHARE THIS AMAZING RECIPE."

"S-sure, sounds like fun." She pushed some of the mold to the side, leaving only a tiny shred of it on her fork. She took a quick glance to Sans, and he merely stared at her. He wasn't stupid enough to feed her human, he wouldn't hear the end of it, but there was no excuse to her not eating this. It was the last of their not meat product in the house, and Sans wouldn't be able to get more for another two days. This would be her last meal for awhile, and he would be damned if she didn't swallow every last spore. "You know, you didn't have to cater to me and all. I could have had the sausages-"

"eat up, treat." She shuddered, her gaze going back down to her plate. "don't wanna have you wastin' away on me."

She swallowed heavily, and brought the fork up to her plump lips. She took a quick look at him, before looking back at her food, clearly not finding whatever mercy she thought he would grant her. She opened her mouth as wide as she could, stabbed the fork inside, and slipped the fork out not a second later. Her fingers clawed into her borrowed shorts, and her eyes shut hard, as if the taste was actually something she could see. Sans snorted and stabbed his own food, and popped some of it into his already salivating mouth, the rotten flavor hardly hidden by the salt and bone broth his brother had cooked it in. It took longer to chew, and longer to add to his own magic stores, but slowly he felt the heaviness of the day leave him, and he was eventually back at the usual level of achiness and misery that his body had settled at. 

All through dinner Papyrus would chat to the human, and when she wasn't gagging on her food, she would give him a short reply. The conversation danced around puzzles, before shifting to cooking, and finally ending on some surface magazine his brother was fond of. Papyrus was ecstatic when the human mentioned that she was subscribed to the magazine, and they gushed over their favorite copies. The artificial lights in the Underground were shutting down, and the snow in Sans' skull had all melted by the time that Papyrus finally excused himself to go wash the dishes, promising to bring down his collection of magazines during the next meal. 

Her shoulders were relaxed, her smile was wide and soft, and her fingers were carelessly splayed against the arm of the couch, the other hand splayed on her knee. She had leaned forward at some point during the conversation, and her voice had risen from the quiet murmur that it had started at. But the smile faded, her fingers curled up again, and her shoulders began to slouch as Papyrus left the room, as if he had stolen her happiness. It probably would have insulted any other monster, to see their soulmate bonding so well with their sibling, yet hating spending time with them. However, Sans was glad to see the human enjoyed spending time with Papyrus, that meant she would enjoy his company when she was stuck in bed. Sans pat her head, mussing up her hair, and getting it tangled in his bones. 

The plan was perfect. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Treat might end up without a leg in the near future...Maybe. She better hope that Sans' instincts start kicking in. Well, that could always be worse. XD
> 
> Know what isn't worse? My tumblr! http://nihilismpastry.tumblr.com


	13. Snow Filled Lane

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gore Level: None
> 
> Holy shit, it's a Halloween Miracle!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, it's been awhile...I'll be updating frequently, so it's gonna be fun.

It was snowing hard that morning. The snowflakes were practically clumps falling to the ground, and the snow had crept all the way to the third step. A lot of the Royal Guard was getting called out to shovel the streets, not actually patrol. Sans listened with a bored expression as Devilin instructed everyone on where to go, and what parts they would be shoveling up. The lithe devil man always tried to keep things organized, probably one of the reasons Undyne had forced him into the Royal Guard in the first place. He turned his attention from the map pinned to the wall, to his brother sitting only a few feet away. He looked attentive, leaning forward, his smile in an actual smile for once, not that perma thing they had to have thanks to their fucked up biology. 

Papyrus had always liked these type of assignments. While he’d always been pretty good at making puzzles, doing ‘community service’ sort of things had always put a bit of pep in his step. This was probably way more true these days, with all the rotten shit Papyrus had to do in the name of the Queen, and to protect the people of Snowdin. He shook his skull, ignoring the accusing voice in the back of his skull pointing out that the worst of the work came from a lie.

One that he created.

“And that should get the roads cleared up before everyone is awake.” Devilin said, hiding his arms back into his poncho. “If there’s anything else we need to go over, now’s the time.” When no one spoke up, he clapped his hands. “Alright, everyone’s dismissed.”

Sans pushed himself off the low stool, and followed his brother to the front door. “you’ll be by waterfall entrance?”

“YES, UNFORTUNATELY.” He said. “HONESTLY, I WAS HOPING TO GET SNOWDIN FOREST WITH YOU. AS MUCH AS I LIKE DOGERESSA, SHE ISN’T ONE FOR TALKING MUCH THESE DAYS.”

“sorry bro. next time i’ll try not to jinx the sticks.”

“HOW DID YOU EVEN MANAGE THAT?”

He shrugged as he pulled his hood up when they exited the house. Snow in his head wound always made him irritable, unless he was in actual pain. Right now he felt well enough, just the typical achy and miserable feeling he always had. He paused right outside Grillby’s, watching his brother continue his trek to the entrance of Waterfall. “I’ll see ya later, bro.”

“AT LUNCH, SANS.” Papyrus twisted around, still walking. “THIS TIME YOU WILL EAT ALL THE RATIONS I PREPARE FOR YOU.”

He waved his brother off, watching him go until he was only an orange and red blob against the white. He stuck his hands in his pockets and went straight back to their house. He unlocked the front door and shut it behind him, leaning on it heavily. He could hear the human above him, her soft footsteps echoing through the otherwise empty house. She was like some being that haunted them, and they couldn’t call an exorcist to get rid of her. Well, they couldn’t call a butcher, no way were they gonna send that much meat to the ‘great beyond’ or whatever.

Sans pushed himself off the door, and slowly made his way up the stairs. He’d made his plan up two nights ago, and had refined it in his free time. In the forest there was a stretch of ice, and it led down to a ravine below. While she would fall and not die, there was a good chance she could get hidden in the snow. Frostbite was a hell of a thing, he’d seen plenty of Monsters get it, and he imagined it should be about the same for a human. It would mean the only way to save her from the pain would be chopping off her limbs. Not only would his brother have plenty of meat, but he’d look like a hero to his soulmate. Things would go smoothly while he slowly went through translating the old text in Gerson’s book.

He grinned down at the human when he ripped open the door. She had been standing near it, her arms wrapped around her torso, and a frown on her face. She opened her mouth, but then shut it when he walked right past her and to his closet. He opened the door, and pushed through most of the junk, until he found an old sweater back from the days…

Oh look, he couldn’t remember.

He tossed it onto her head as he shut the closet door. “put it on. we’re headin’ on an adventure.”

She made a whining noise, but when he turned around, she had zipped up the off gray hoody properly. He kicked over a pair of shoes for her to wear, before yanking up his axe, and balancing it on his shoulder. It was standard not to bring weapons into the homes of other Monsters, but Sans wouldn’t be caught dead without it in the middle of Snowdin Forest. There were a few people who’d resorted to cannibalism recently, and even though Sans was nothing but bones, he’d supply some dumbass with magic for a good chunk of time. Might even give them that false sense of feeling ‘full’ and ‘content’.

“So what adventure are we going on?”

He yanked up her hood, effectively hiding most of her face from prying eyes. She still smelled like him, though less so. Her scent was becoming stronger, and starting to permeate through his own. It was sweet and thick, damn near fertile, actually. He growled and pushed her away, before turning on his heel and leaving the room. He could hear her scurrying behind him, trying to keep up with his hurried footsteps. “don’t ask questions. thought ya’d be happy to get outta the house. might memorize the area so ya can run away?” 

“...”

He snorted, utterly amused by her tell-tale silence. “to be fair, i’d do the same shit. map out the area, pretend to be irritated but follow orders, and then…” He snapped his distals. “run off into the sunset. go find your boy toy.”

“That’s not-”

“what you’re doin’?” He said, adding onto her sentence. “doesn’t matter if it is or isn’t, treat. cause no matter how far you run, or how deep ya dig.” He twisted around, grabbing her by the neck, and pulling her close. He can feel her warm breath on his teeth, and smell her scent in a way that had him wanting more.“i can find ya, and drag ya back here. i’ll lock ya away, and not even the maggots will find your corpse.”

She stared at him, eyes wide, and mouth ajar. He snickered, and tapped her chin, prompting her to close her mouth. When she did he lead her out of the house, and into the freezing cold of the town.

* * *

You had seen Sans do mundane things. He sometimes would pick at food with his brother, or you would catch him reading in the middle of the night. However, seeing him shoveling snow was kind of silly. Sans was not a very large skeleton...Though, to be fair, you were comparing him to his brother, who had to be at least 7’5…

Anyway, Sans was a small skeleton, and it was almost funny watching him dig away at the mound of snow that blocked the road to Snowdin. You hadn’t bothered to offer your help, and in turn, he never asked for it. Instead he worked away with a shovel, creating another mound of snow right off the side of the road. You had nothing to do, but stand there, watching Sans work. There was also climbing a tree, or sitting on the mound, but at the end of the day you were still staring at the small skeleton, watching him make a dent in the mass of snow covering the dirt road.

You yawned and leaned against a scraggly pine, more snow fluttering down onto the ground and your covered head. The lights above your head were low, but were beginning to become brighter with every second, mimicking the sun. You shifted in your pile of snow, trying to get back to semblance of warmth. “Is that the sun?”

“hm?”

“Above us.” You pointed to the light above your heads, peeking through the fog and craggy rocks that acted as a ceiling. “Are those lights the sun, or just...magic?”

Sans didn’t pause in his work. “they’re just lights. ain’t gonna be able to just crawl up there and find yourself on the surface. every other monster this side of snowdin would’ve done it by now.” He used his shovel to toss a rock onto the other side of the road. “ ‘sides, the barrier would still cover up those cracks. it covers everything inside the mountain. plenty of ways in. no way out.”

“You haven't tried digging deeper? Going to the other side of the mountain?”

Sans stabbed his shovel into the snowbank and turned to stare at you. His pupil was half lidded, and he had an easy going smile on his skull. “now why didn’t we think of that? i mean we’ve only been here for a really fucking long time.”

“Sorry…”

He rolled his eye light and began shoveling once again. The two of you were once more entrenched in the near silence. Despite this place being filled to the brim with trees and caves, you hadn’t seen a living thing outside of you and Sans. It felt less like a forest, and more like a cemetery. You almost expected to come across a few headstones, or an urn filled with ashes, or maybe a dead body covered in snow and preserved by the cold. It was a morbid thought, one that had you looking away, and huddling deeper into your borrowed jacket. You made a mental note to never watch horror movies while down here, you’d never sleep ever again at that rate.

You yawned, covering your mouth with a sleeve. “Okay, but how is it snowing?”

“magic.”

“Seriously?”

He gave a long suffering sigh. “why’re you askin’ all these questions, again?”

“Curiosity?” You kicked at a clump of snow with your foot, tossing more snow onto the road. You received an annoyed grunt in reply, and his next shovel full of snow was tossed all over your abdomen. You shrieked and scrambled up, trying to get the snow off of you. It was melting quickly, far quicker than the snow you were used to, and the water was soaking through the scant layer of clothes. You hissed and curled your arms around your torso, hoping to generate some warmth. “I won’t be much of a bride if I freeze to death.”

“you’ll live.” He shouldered his axe and then his shovel, kicking away the last of the snow blocking the road “come on, we gotta get some salt from grillbz.”

You slowly began following behind him, somewhat hunched over, your hands working slow circles into your sides. You were thankful to be a bit overweight, this would probably be so much worse if you were any skinnier.

* * *

Apparently, the ‘salt from Grillbz’ meant going back to town. Sans took his time, being mindful of the snow poffs, and stopping completely at times. His head was always tilted back then, sockets shut, and his grip would get tighter on his tools. You would stop when he did, but more because you had no idea how to get back to town from here. You knew you were close to the Ruins door, but you hadn’t seen that bridge from before, nor any of the shacks that had lined the side of the path. 

“paps should be back when we get home.” Sans said, after almost thirty minutes of silence between the two of you. “dunno if he’s gonna cook or not. don’t matter. don’t ask.”

You frowned, but didn’t say anything as you both trudged forward. Sans seemed to have this big thing about food. He was picky about what he ate, would often give portions away to his brother, and would whine at you to eat when you actually had food. Granted, you hadn’t eaten in two days. At some point your stomach had gone from mildly nauseous to almost numb, it was amazing, really. If you didn’t know any better, you’d think he was trying to starve you to death. Maybe screaming the other night when he scared you pissed him off enough to finally kill you.

Death by starvation.

Sans suddenly stopped again, and grabbed your arm. You stiffened under his rough touch, but otherwise stayed still. It’s silent for several moments, not even your breathing could penetrate the stark silence that blanketed the path. You opened your mouth, twisting your arm slightly, hoping to get out of his grasp, when there was the sound of high pitched squealing type of howl coming from a stand of trees not too far away.

Sans dropped his shovel entirely, and began dragging you off in the opposite direction, straight to a path that had a broken sign shoved in the middle of it. You gasped as your feet hit the path, and began slipping under you. Your fingers curled around Sans’ hoody, bringing him down with you. Pain exploded in your head and spine, and you swore you saw stars exploding behind your eyelids. You could feel Sans’ fingers scrambling against you, scraping against some exposed skin, and his voice ringing in your ears. Your fingers scrambled, trying to find something to hold on to while your body slid across the ice.

Suddenly you felt weightless.

Suddenly you could hear your own voice piercing the air.

Suddenly you were falling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sans' plan kinda went down hill....Yeah, bad pun is bad. Anyway! Sans is gonna be stuck down with Treat, so I wonder what's gonna happen...Honestly, someone's probably gonna die. 
> 
> Know what isn't gonna die? My tumblr! http://nihilismpastry.tumblr.com/


	14. Divided Lane

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Sans both take different paths through a cavern.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gore Level: Incredibly High

You awoke to a burning pain in your arm and skull. For a moment you thought you were just hung over, a bad night after one of Javier’s ridiculous parties, but as the cold soaked through your clothes, and you heard a bellowing scream above you, that train of thought was shot down. You cracked open your eyes, and was met by a sheen of white. It covered your head, and surrounded your body like a cocoon. You pushed out your arm, and a whimper escaped your lips as your left arm burned. You clawed your right arm out from the snow, and gently pressed down on your injured arm. There was no blood, and you weren’t in enough pain for it to be broken, likely just a bad sprain thanks to the fall. 

Speaking of fall.

You pushed at the mounds of snow with your good hand, breaking down the barrier around your head.You wiped the snow off your face, and shimmed the rest of the way out of the cocoon, yelping as you rolled off the side and hit the ground. More pain throbbed through your bad arm, and you curled your knees up to your chest, cursing as it throbbed and burned. It took a few minutes for the snow to numb that pain to a bearable twinge, and you pushed yourself up to your feet, snow and dirt falling off your coat, and your hood falling back from your face.

A quick look around proved you were alone. Just you and the ice slick walls of what seemed to be a cave. Sans must have abandoned you, unless he didn’t make it all the way down. You peered up, but didn’t see a skeleton hanging off a warped tree root, just more ice and craggy rocks. Well, there was no way you were going to be able to climb your way back up, and you weren’t eager to look for Sans either. If he did fall down here with you, and you both just got seperated, then you didn’t want to wait for him to find you and drag you back to his home.

There was only one path, and you didn’t see any footprints. Well, looked like your choice had been made for you. Bracing yourself for any of the horrors that likely lurked down the path, you kept your steps slow, and your breath quiet. Outside the crunch of your footsteps in the snow, there was nothing but silence all around. It reminded you of the forest, honestly. It was like the entire area outside the town was abandoned, and only brave souls bothered to go outside the relative safety of the town’s borders.

The path went down a bend, a large sheet of ice obscuring the rest of the path from view. You paused on the edge of it, your arm burning at the mere thought of slipping and falling again. A quick check above your head proved that there was only the craggy ceiling and icicles. You bit your lip and pressed one foot on the ice, and then slowly the other. With reluctance you used your bad arm to reach out and grab at the wall, using it to keep some balance as you traversed the icy path.

Once you hit the other side, you let go of the wall and straightened your body properly. You hissed and dropped your bad arm, the burning pain enough to drive you to tears. You wrapped your good arm around your torso, gently pressing your bad arm against your body and continued forward, hoping you wouldn’t have to actually use it again for a while. 

* * *

Sans could feel something heavy pressing inside his skull. Thin fingers clawed at his head wound and sunk his fingers into cold snow. Without pulling his head up, he dug the majority of it out, creating a small pile next to his skull. It took several more moments before he bothered to drag himself into a sitting position, black and red splattered against the snow and his clothes, looking oddly out of place with all the pristine white. It was like the time he found Alphys…

He shook his head and kicked the snow around for a moment until he found his hatchet. He slung it over his shoulder, before looking for his next priority: His human. He wasn’t a pile of dust in the snow, so clearly she hadn’t kicked the bucket yet, but her melody was playing tight and fast. She was scared of something, and it didn’t sound like she was going to calm down anytime soon. He began searching through the snow, digging at each pile until they were flattened bits of water and slush. Once the whole area was cleared, he began the next obvious step and checked for her footprints and scent. While her footprints wouldn’t be that obvious in the snow, her scent would be. It was becoming bolder and thicker lately, even bleeding through clothes he had just worn. And if he could smell it…

Everyone else could.

Granted, the only ‘everyone else’ was a deranged Monster with a penchant for cannibalism. However, he doubted the human would be struck off the list if she didn’t bleed dust and her soul tremble and scream with a loss of HoPe. He sighed, his gaze traveling down the dirt road that lead deeper into the old marching path. It was the old path Asgore had used to lead the Monsters from the Ruins, through the Underground, and finally to the place that was eventually called New Home. No one really went down these paths, just teenagers hoping to do stupid things that teenagers were prone to doing.

And now Sans, apparently.

His grip on the hatchet became tight and he made his way down the path. Snow started to fall from above, most of it collecting in his head wound, melting as soon as it fell, and becoming water that his body absorbed. It had a bitter flavor with a hint of ash, looked like the Core was belching fumes again. Probably some more shoddy reactor valves, and someone getting stuck in the cooling fans again. Cooling fans had no intent, which meant the person was just getting sliced open again and again. Core jobs always gave out the best rations, maybe he could do a shift or three for a while, and then find the screaming idiot who couldn’t help but chase cockroaches for dinner.

He paused, tilting his head in the air, scenting the wind that blew through the narrow tunnel. Pine, snow, wet fur, and the noxious fumes from the Core floated on the wind, but nothing else worthy of note. A growl rumbled in his chest, irritation prickling on the edge of his mind, the song playing so much louder in his skull. It was a thumping jerky tune now, and it made his own soul pulse with something that made him move a bit faster, and curse to the snowflakes and rock caverns around him. 

That idiot had likely got herself in some kind of trouble, and now both of them would end up paying for it. Mates died at the same times, it didn't matter if it was from sickness or an idiot killing themselves, both souls were now forever linked in a dance that would force them to be responsible for each other. Chipped distal grappled at his jacket, biting through the threadbare fabric, and biting into the bone below. He could feel his soul trying to manifest in his ribcage, trying to reach out and grasp for its companion that was now in danger. 

He hit his sternum once, then twice, finally a third time for good measure as the feeling slowly faded through sheer force of will. If it was really who he thought it was that was stalking him, then he couldn't let his soul manifest here, not unless he wanted to be a pile of dust and clothes for Papyrus left to find. His magic twisted in his bones, building stronger and stronger as he thought about his brother. Coming home, trying to force down a little 'food', and listening to him go on about his day and the uninspired traps he made. 

As he reached around a bend, the smell hit him full in the face, and his steps faltered on instinct. The bolstering magic he was using died, and it left him feeling hollow and poorly put together. His soul twisted and burst again, trying to manifest desperately as another scent filled the air, making everything around him shakey and unimportant in comparison. His grip tightened on the bone handle of his hatchet, and his tongue manifested, slipping across his teeth and bringing something gritty yet soft back into his mouth.

He tasted sweet.  

* * *

You had managed to get to a round opening in the cave system. The rock wall was smooth here, and the snow didn’t manage to get through the ceiling. It reminded you of a winter when your family went up to the city to see your cousin play the sugar plum fairy in a ballet performance of The Nutcracker. You could smell pine and fresh snow, but there was only a sprinkling hint of winter around you, not enough to be overwhelming. Just the set up for a winter inspired scene…

A winter inspired scene without a way out.

The walls were smooth all the way around, but there didn’t seem to be a way out. You cursed and ran to the other end, banging your good arm against the wall. “Dammit! That was…”

It was supposed to be a way out!

You glanced back down the path. At some point it had forked, and you had gone down the right side of the path, maybe you should backtrack and go down the left? But what if you ended up coming across Sans? You had seen footprints in the snow earlier. Footprints you hadn’t made. You were going to have to face him eventually, the tunnels only seemed so big, but you had wanted to have found a successful way out. Going back to Sans, that conceited freak, was a last ditch option.

You pushed yourself off the wall and began treading back to the entrance of the dome. Your shoes scraped against the off blue floor, kicking up the scant amount of snow and dirt, staining the bottom of your pants. As you walked, you noticed a long, sinuous root growing between the rocks, threatening to trip you if you weren’t careful. You paused and knelt down, pressing your fingers against the cold soil, and scratching lightly at the bark.

“Still green.”

All the trees were above your head, so that must mean that something had either grown close to the ground, or there was a ledge or something that the tree had sought when expanding its roots. You began kicking at more snow, following the root like a lifeline. It led back down the path, twisting and shriveling, become skinnier the longer you followed it. You were pretty sure that it was working wrong, that the roots were supposed to be thicker the closer to the tree that you got. A cold breeze ruffled your hair and got dirt in your eyes, forcing you to pause in your search.

You wiped at your eyes with your good hand, the other was still sore but not nearly as bad as it was an hour ago, before wiping the offending dirt onto your track pants. Maybe you should turn back? The root might have divided into sections, similar to the path that you had followed before.

**_Pop_ **

**_Snap_ **

**_Crack_ **

Something sweet floated on the air now. You tilted your head up, trying to peer up the at the edges of the walls above you. More snow falls down, though this time it’s finer, and the sweet scent is thicker. Cold fingers wipe at the snow, just to jolt when you realize it had a grainy texture, like sand, yet it glittered in the low light of the cavern. A shudder goes down your spine when you stare at it too long, and you wipe it away on your pants.

Why does your hand still feel sticky?

You contemplated washing your hands off in the snow when you heard a loud screech and a thunk. It was as if someone had pushed a crate filled with kittens down into the cavern with you.

Why did it smell so sweet?

The hair on the back of your neck stood on end, and your spine went as straight as a pole, your legs tensing under your weight. The crunch of snow and something scraping against stone, the sound was so wrong and contorted, it made your ears hurt just to listen to it. Sans normally didn’t make a sound when he moved, and while you’ve heard him make odd growling noises, not once did he ever sound like a rabid dog.

You never thought that you could describe a way to die as ‘pleasant’. Dying, in its very nature, was not supposed to be a pleasant experience. Yet as this Monster ripped out your stomach, smearing blood, guts, and whatever hadn’t properly digested all over the cavern walls...Well, being impaled by bones was becoming one of your favorite ways to die. As your vision began to fade, you could see the Monster hunched over your body, snapping your intestines, and rupturing your liver. The squirming mess of reds, browns, and pinks made you nauseous, and for a moment you were almost happy that there was nothing connected to your throat now.

You let your eyes shut, the tugging on your torso now a numb thing that you couldn’t connect to sensation anymore…

* * *

You were in the dark again. It twisted and bobbed like some sort of snake, almost choking you just from how thick it seemed to be. You opened your mouth, hoping that it would help, but all you tasted was blood and shit. You spat it out, a maroon blob staining the darkness, but it was soon licked up by a long, pink tendril. You followed the tendril back to the source and was surprised to find yourself staring at Flowey. “I didn’t call for you…”

“Oh, trust me, you did.” He said, his tongue slipping back into his petals. “I can even hear a whisper of my name, you know. I mean, just because I don’t have what humans refer to as ‘ears’, doesn’t mean I’m deaf.”

“...”

You watched as the flower glided over to you, his roots seeming able to move just fine in the darkness surrounding you. “Now, what are you going to do, Mrs. Trashbag? Even you have to know what happened.”

“I died…”

“Right! Well, you were eaten, actually. Considering the state of this place, you actually did that Monster a service.” Flowey’s petals withered and became a sickly yellow, a few of them even falling to the ground. “Maybe you should stay that way?”

Dying sounded like the easy option, Flowey always presented you with the easy option. But you were away from Sans, in a new cave system that could lead you out of Snowdin and up to the surface, right? You could try, just a little bit more…

Gold light erupted over both your heads and the star slowly descended from the clouds above you. The light was warm, and it chased the darkness away from your skin and bones, leaving you feeling refreshed as if you had a short nap. You cupped the star, bringing it close to your chest, and you could feel a gentle pulse buried underneath your ribs. Was that your heart restarting?

“Flowey, do you know the way out of that cavern?”

You glanced back to the Monster, just to see that he looked as he usually did, a single eye surrounded by golden petals. If you looked closely enough, he almost resembled the star cradled in your hands. He stared at you for a moment before giving a high pitched laugh that made your skin crawl. “You’re gonna try to escape before Mr. Trashbag gets you, huh? Well, not that I blame you, he’d do you in worse than that fleabag if he found out about this.” He gestured to the darkness with a long tendril. “What makes you think there’s a way to the surface from here?”

“I…” That was a good question. There could be another series of cave systems, ones that you would have to navigate and get out of. You didn’t have food, you didn’t have a map, you didn’t have much of anything to help you. What if you were stolen away by another Monster? What if the Monster was worse than Sans? What if…

**What if**

**_What if_ **

**_What if!_ **

“Hey, calm down!”

You blinked and stared down at Flowey. His eye was narrowed into a glare, but you found that it wasn’t directed at you. Following his gaze, you quickly realized he was staring at the star. It was pulsing and there were small, black tendrils wrapping around it. “What happened?”

“You happened, idiot.” His words were harsh, and he twisted his vines, stretching and stretching until he came to your level. He peered at the star, hissing as it flickered and more tendrils began choking it out. “Just go back to the Access Point again before you _ actually _ die.”

The light became warmer, and the tendrils became the same grainy sand that had fallen on you back in the cave system. It slowly began to float out of your arms, until everything bled a brilliant white...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yup, she died again! Treat is gonna die a LOT before this story is over. And once again writing Sans' POV is kinda hard, but I think that it came out pretty solid all things considered. 
> 
> Know what isn't solid? My tumblr! http://nihilismpastry.tumblr.com/


	15. Red Snow...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The snow is died red.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gore Level: Extremely High
> 
> Seriously guys, shit happens here.

Blood welled up to your lips, and you spat it out, staring at the one eyed flower for the tenth time in the last...How many times have you died? How many times did your limbs get torn right from their sockets, your skull smashed, your eyes gouged out and neck snapped? How many times have you found yourself in the middle of this dark room, forced to go back to the same place again and again? 

“Ready to give up?” You slowly rubbed at your face, the blood slowly fading, but the taste still there, seared into your taste buds. Flowey watched you with a rather deadpan expression, his petals wilted and a mustard shade of yellow.

He looked almost dead himself.

“...”

The flower straightened, up and you swore that his voice became almost childlike. “Well, good golly gosh, you don’t need to ignore me. That’s just rude.”

“Flowey, what happens if I don’t go back to the ‘access point’?” Your words were hoarse, as if you hadn’t spoken for a long time. “What if I give up?”

“You die for good.” Flowey said. “Guess that means you leave a body behind, and the Monsters will do what they do best with the body. If the Smiley Trashbag doesn’t find you, maybe you’ll get a chance to rot.”

Rotting down to a maggoty mess sounded like a nice reprieve. So many times you tried to get past the dog Monster, and so many times it had managed to get you before you could find Sans. Knowing your luck, the skeleton Monster probably abandoned you. All that chatter about how you were his bride and how you shouldn’t try to escape being utter bullshit that meant nothing when you actually needed him-

Your eyes widened, and you halted that train of thought before it could go any further. No, you didn’t need him to save you, only you and your brain could save you in this situation. You didn’t need Sans, you really didn’t.

Really.

You pulled your hands close to your face, admiring the gold band on your finger. Even in this darkness, this pit where the only light was high above your hand, your ring glowed like a firefly. You pressed a kiss to the metal, and a murmur of your husband’s name escaped your lips. “I’m coming home to you. I promise.”

The light in the room became flooded, and before you knew it that falling sensation took over your mind and body. When you opened your eyes again, you were standing in the middle of a corridor, and right in front of you was the dog Monster. Its lips were pulled back in a snarl, and black droll plopped into the snow in a steady stream. A scream ripped through you as you ran head on into the creature, eyes shut and body bowed like a football player. Wind was knocked out of your body when you collided with the creature, and a fiery hot pain burst against your side, but you continued to move, your body still propelling forward. When you opened your eyes, red clouded your vision, and blobs of white stood out against that. However, you didn’t dare stop, you could practically feel the razor sharp teeth ripping into your muscles, and pulling you apart.

The fear kept you moving, the pain still burning hot in your side, your vision partially obstructed, but that fear lit a fire inside you, one that had smothered any of the bravery that had sat inside you. And as your feet stumbled, and your legs trembled, your lungs burning with pain and exertion, you knew that this was going to be the last time that you could do this. If you died again, you wouldn’t be given a second chance, you body was just going to be left to rot.

You had to get away.

You had to survive.

Run!

**_RUN!_ **

Pain exploded in your back, and you felt yourself vaulting forward. You could smell copper, and your back felt sticky and sore as you plummeted onto the ground. You got a moment of relief as your side was soaked in snow, but it was ripped away as you felt a heavy weight on your back, tearing deeper into your wounds. A booming howl echoes through the chamber, yet so close to your ear that your headache is pulsing to a point that it felt like your head would explode.

You wriggled your legs, but they were pinned, your body completely at the mercy at the thing on top of you. Your fingers curled into the snow, numbing from the cold and slowly becoming useless hunks of flesh. You pressed your face into the snow, using the cold to help ease your headache, but it only pulsed harder when some of the snow slipped between your lips. It tasted sour and foul, like pickle juice left out on the counter, and sour milk getting mixed with it. Your stomach sloshed, and you gagged, bile burning your tongue and sending a shudder down your spine.

The burning in your back erupted once again, this time far worse than before, but your throat was too sore to keep screaming, your lips to cold and stiff to even open properly. The thing on your back didn’t move, but you could hear it make deep breathing sounds, almost snorting like some kind of animal. Something cold and wet pressed against your thigh, eliciting a shudder out of you, but you didn’t dare try to scoot away from it. Its claws were too deep inside your back, and visions of your blood and mangled corpse danced in your head, a clear warning that you shouldn’t try to fight.

It continued sniffing you, occasionally tapping its nose against your pants. “Smells good.” It rasped. “So small. Smells good.”

It shuffled on top of you, the claws sliding around in your skin. It was like taking a knife and stabbing it along a stick of butter. It was awkward and stiff, leaving a mangled mess left behind. If this thing didn’t kill you outright, then the infection would. Knowing your luck, it wouldn’t be the terrifying Monsters that killed you, it would be an infection that could have easily been cured by medications. Sans probably wouldn’t give you any of course, he couldn’t even take care of you when he said that-

The thought crashed and burned as you felt the nose press against your core. A yelp was ripped from you, and you once again began squirming, blood splashing into the snow, and reopening the wounds. It would be bad enough to die, but then you would also be raped? Would it defile your corpse when it was done to? You’d be just a bloated corpse filled with blood, semen, and maggots?

Your heart beat faster, and despite the cold that had soaked all the way to your bones, you began kicking out weakly, muffled screams ripping through your throat. You don’t want to be here anymore, just let you die, you need help, someone needs to help, you can’t do this alone-!

“Fertile bitch.” The thing rasped, and your screams mingled with the ripping of cloth. The cold hit you hard, but it was utterly eclipsed as something slimy and thick slid between your thighs, cleaning up the blood that had leaked down your back, and mixed with the menstrual blood from your cunt.

“ **SANS!** ”

* * *

The song pulsing through his head was an utter cacophony. It was louder than the wind rushing through the cavern, and it sliced through his thoughts, forcing him to pay attention to the state that the damn human was in. The bond was far to vague to be of any use, because while it did kindly tell him that she was in distress, it didn’t bother to explain why. For all he knew, the human could have tripped over something and was complaining about a skinned knee. 

He adjusted the hold on his axe, bringing it close to his chest as he slid between a twisted tree trunk and an ice wall that had formed. It probably would bite him in the ass not to cut that trunk down, but as he backed up to peer at it from the other side of the gap, he could see that it had fallen from above. It was a pretty thick around, probably could survive someone scrambling up its side. There was some snow and ice between the tangled roots, and the ledge of the cliff, but Sans could make it work. 

**_AWHOOOO!_ **

Sans paused, eye light widening as the sound cut through the song playing through his skull. His grip tightened on the axe’s handle, and he continued moving in the direction of the human’s song. This section of the chamber wasn’t as narrow as the last one had been, but there were too many trees on the cliffs, perfect places for enemies to hide, and then jump down on unsuspecting idiots. A long time ago kids  used to play through the caverns, making them into club houses, and the lay out for a game of hide and go seek. Something had happened to make it dangerous…

He shook the thought away, and followed the thick scent of dog treats and wet fur. He hadn’t found any footprints in the snow yet, it was as if the damn Monster had flown, leaving just a trail of his scent behind.Sans relaxed somewhat as he went down a tunnel, away from the cliffs and trees. The snow was compacted down here, there was no footprints, but with most of the snow churned up and tamped down to ice, it was a good hint that someone had flown through the area.

Another blast of wind ruffled his coat, and sent a face full of the Monster’s smell to him. It was still wet fur, dog treats, and…

“blood?”

It was thick and coppery, with a hint of something that had him thinking of a female Monster’s heat. His steps quickened, and the song in his head was now easily ignored as he made his way to the source of the smell. Magic sparked in his mouth, and his bones felt heavy with the sudden force that his magic was using to course through him. As he breached the other side of the tunnel, he found himself standing in a chamber that had the cliffs on all sides, the trees waving and bending under the wind, taunting him with all the enemies they likely harbored in their boughs.

Most of the snow was tamped down here as well, but shoe prints and footprints were very obvious in the places the snow hadn’t turned to ice, or where blood hadn’t melted it all away. The blood was splashed in so many places, leaving a trail of it that was practically a dinner bell to every Monster within a mile radius. Sans grit his teeth, but didn’t pick up his pace, instead he slowed down, both hands clutching his axe’s handle.

He could see the Monster huddled in the corner on top of something, more blood splattered on the ground, getting soaked up by both the dirt and bits of cloth that laid scattered everywhere. The distinct feminine smell was stronger now, but it was mixed with the Monster’s, creating a cocktail that set Sans on edge. Something about it smelt wrong, just like the grunts of satisfaction felt like a sin, and the pained whimpers were an abomination.

More cloth was torn and cast aside, the wind picking it up and floating it a few feet away. With this new breeze, Sans got another face full of the smell coming from the Monster and the thing it was hunched over. Suddenly the thing kicked out, and Sans caught a flash of skin, and the stench of fear, the train wreck playing in his head becoming so much louder and tighter in tone.

“ **SANS!** ”

The skeleton brought his axe down, dust splattered on his clothes, slipped between his teeth, and all over the snow. His tongue snaked out of his mouth, capturing more of the sweet tasting dust. The thrum of his magic was warm, almost boiling as he jerked his arms back, dislodging the axe just long enough to swing down again. The Monster turned on him before it could embed itself in its back again, a blue blade ripping through his ribs.

His bones cracked and his magic writhed as the blade cut through him, and straight into his soul. Sans didn't have a chance to recover as he was punched right in the spine, his body bending forward and his knees hitting the snow. His fingers clawed into his axe’s handle, refusing to let go even as the blade grazed his ribs. Not even as he watched the Monster climb up the side of a cliff, and make its way back into the forest.

Sans remained in his spot for a few moments, his magic attempting to self heal, but leaving only a hollow feeling behind.

**_There was nothing there_ ** .

He snorted and slowly pushed himself up, snow and dust dropping to the ground in gray globs. His gaze trailed back to the human, she was laying on her side, her knees to her chest, and blood was streaked on every inch of her skin. While everyone in town would know that there was a human, that smell probably traveled all the way to Waterfall, he did succeed in one thing today…

He knelt down next to the human, freeing one hand from his axe, and smoothing her hair out of her face. “look who came to your rescue.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yup, I had a kinda on time update! Executing this chapter was an utter bitch, but I really hope you enjoyed it! And yes, the summary was supposed to be a pun, but...I kinda suck at them. 
> 
> Anyway! So Treat called for Sans to save her. Not god, not her husband, but Sans...Shit's gonna get bad now. 
> 
> Know what isn't bad? My tumblr! http://nihilismpastry.tumblr.com/


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